Catching One's Breath
by InuKag01234
Summary: Challenges faced and challengers yet to be overcome. Kagome Higurashi's problems seem never ending, from battling demons in the feudal era to averting disaster in the present day alongside one hanyou InuYasha. Although, this time, have they bitten off more than they can chew? inukag mirsan
1. Losing a bet

**/nb; original summary-slash-prologue goes;**

"I don't even need the Tetsusaiga to take on that thing, Miroku. You watch while I beat it to a pulp." InuYasha said, eyeing up the hulking grey beast that took up a massive section of the old batlefield. "That bet is on. Just don't come crying to me afterwards when you lose."

**so onwards and upwards!**

* * *

'Honestly,' Kagome berated, even as their feet touched the solid ground at the base of the well, 'I don't know _what_ you were even thinking. You clearly were doomed to lose that bet as soon as it was even mentioned, so why did you even try?'

'Will you quit nagging me, Kagome?' InuYasha muttered, still arrogant despite his serious injuries, he was leaning a little heavier than he would care to admit on her with an arm over her shoulders.

'And now look at the state of you!' Kagome continued over the top of him, pretending not to hear anything. 'I should almost leave you down here, you know.'

'I can get out on my own.' He grumbled as she started on the ladder, and he leapt out, landing a little rougher than he normally would, and staggered a little sideways into the wall, resting his head against it, attempting to tune out Kagome's voice.

'So what did you lose to Miroku?' Kagome asked, appearing over the lip of the well, and hauling herself over it.

'Nothing.' InuYasha said, looking away.

'And what were you going to gain from it?' She asked, striding over to him and gingerly slipping under his left arm, avoiding his wrist.

A grin crossed the hanyou's face. 'He was gonna stop feeling up women for ten days.'

'Ooh, good one.' Kagome murmured without realizing, forgetting InuYasha was close enough to hear. 'I-I mean, you shouldn't have gone through with it!'

They started walking towards the exit, taking the steps rather carefully, and she slid the door open with a flourish, revealing the modern day Tokyo, and the Higurashi Shrine in broad daylight.

'So what? I could take him.'

'Who, the ogre, or Miroku?' Kagome slid the door shut behind them with her foot, and they walked towards the house.

'Both, that was the idea.'

'Not without Tetsusaiga, you couldn't.'

'I didn't need it.'

She gave him a skeptical glance as they approached the house. 'You clearly did. The ogre had a weapon; you needed one too to be on equal footing.'

'A club doesn't count as a weapon.'

'No, it's merely the blunt object that cracked your skull.'

InuYasha rolled his eyes. 'What's your point?'

'In _two_ places. Seriously, you should be at the very least on the ground.'

'Only a weakling human would be.'

They reached the house, and awkwardly made their way inside, Kagome kicking off her shoes in the process.

'What about your arms?' Kagome shot back. 'Or your ribs? I don't know _what_ could have _possibly_ been going through your mind when you faced that thing.'

'Will you get off my back? It's over. Give me four days, and I'll be back to normal. Geez. You act like this is serious.'

Kagome missed her footing on the last step at that last remark, stumbling a few steps before she could regain her balance.

'Watch what you're doing, Kagome.' InuYasha shot, having been forced to stumble with her, managing to knock his free elbow against the opposing wall, sending pain lancing from the tips of his fingers to the base of his skull.

'How about you take your own advice?' Kagome retorted, sending a worried glance at him so fast he almost missed it.

'I'm not the one stumbling around like a klutz.'

'You're just the one who's so concussed he can't even stand up straight.'

They made it to Kagome's door at the end of the hall, and went through it, where InuYasha promptly let go of the girl, tried to take the few steps to sit on her bed normally, only to fail miserably after the first, and collapsed a little miserably into a pile upon it.

'Yeah.' Kagome said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow, looking at him. 'You're a real trooper.' She sighed. 'But I'm allowed to worry, aren't I?' She said under her breath, gazing at him, and sitting down in her office chair. 'You know, when you have a head injury, you're not supposed to sleep, alright?' She said, addressing the guy.

He gave no response, his face was hidden by his folded arms, but his triangular ears twitched slightly.

She watched for a long moment, before turning away. 'Well, I suppose a few minutes couldn't hurt.'

* * *

'Kagome?' Three girls shockedly chorused at the sight of the girl appearing through the white school gate, the bell suddenly chiming, drowning them out.

Kagome didn't seem to hear them, instead opting to distractedly shifting her gaze from her a point about three feet in front of her to the school's main doors.

The three girls approached her nervously, only one of them being brave enough to lay a hand on her shoulder ('Kagome?'), only to see the girl start, and spin to face them.

'Wh-oh, hey guys. What's up?' Kagome responded, stopping walking and turned to face them.

'We could ask you the same thing.' Yuki said, looking her up and down.

'Are you okay?' Eddi said, 'You're looking a little distracted.'

'Are you waiting for the test results to come back?'

'Test?' Kagome exclaimed, suddenly looking slightly ashen. 'What test? Was it big?'

'Well apparently it was something to do with your bones or something. You should drink more milk, Kagome.' Ayumi said.

'Oh, that. Uh, yeah, they were fine.' Kagome replied, returning to her normal colour.

'So what are you so worried about?' Eddi said.

'Is it something to do with your family, or your guy or something?'

'Oh, uh, it's nothing.' Kagome said, then looked around suddenly. 'Hey, didn't I hear the bell a minute ago? We'll be late!'

And with that, she scuttled off, leaving her friends to chase after her.

Ten minutes later she was inside her classroom, staring aimlessly out the window, barely listening to the announcements for the week.

Images of the ogre she had seen not three days ago were flashing through her mind again; it's surprisingly thick skin making enough of a defense to get a few very decent swings in before InuYasha drew his sword.

She shook her head. _How could he be so thick headed?_

Blinking, she looked around, to see Ayumi next to her shooting her a worried glance, as the announcements entered her hearing.

'... will be open next week. Just a reminder that First Aid training will be available to anyone who wants it. Today's the last day for signing up; it's a one-weekend course happening this weekend. The tennis club will be having...'

_First Aid training?_ Kagome thought. _That could be useful, in case a certain blockhead wants to do something stupid again._

The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was a good idea, and it brightened her morning considerably as she went through her morning classes.

Between that and worrying about InuYasha himself, Kagome forgot completely that her friends would attempt to corner her the first chance they got, and as soon as the first bell rang for lunch, they turned on her.

Upon leaving the classroom they cornered her, and their faces clearly weren't taking no for an answer.

'What's wrong, Kagome?'

'Oh, uh, nothing. I'm just a little stressed at the moment.'

'About what?' Yuki said.

'You look like someone's been in an accident.' Ayumi said, 'are you alright?'

'Well, yeah.-'

'Really? Who?' Eddi said.

'It wasn't your grandfather, was it?' Ayumi said.

'No, no, he's fine.'

'Then who was it?'

'Was it your boyfriend?' Yuki said, crossing her arms.

'Uh, yeah,'

'What happened?' The three said in unison, staring at her intently.

_An ogre? No, I can't say that._ 'He, fell down a flight of stairs.' Kagome said, her eyes settling on the nearby stairs.

'Is he okay?' Ayumi said worriedly, but Yuki and Eddi clearly looked unhappy at the lack of excitement.

'Yeah, he'll be fine. Give him a few days and he'll be back to normal. He's a fireball of energy.' Kagome said, feeling sure of that if nothing else.

However the predicament she had found herself in a few days ago had been just a little heart-wrenching.

There had just been so much blood...

'Well that's good to hear.' Ayumi said, cutting across her thoughts. 'Maybe you should sign up for the First Aid class?'

'I was just about to do that. Now, if you'll excuse me,' Kagome said, sidling past them and over to the notice board on the other side of the hall, where the signup sheets were gathered.

* * *

**Hey guys! :D I know it's been a while, sorry about that, but as promised, here's the new fic I've been working on!**

**I've been suuuper busy with my new job and uni is starting to shovel on the workload, so I'm surprised I managed to squeeze in enough time to breathe (no pun intended), let alone write.**

**So here you go, let me know what you think. It's a little cheesy, I know, but I've been dying to write it for the last two and a half months :).**

**Love you all, I hope for reviews!**

**InuKag.**

**Ps, also a shoutout to my other story I'm putting up here called "The Tale of Magnir", which is sort of a crossover between InuYasha and Aah! My Goddess! (spelling varies on that one, lets see if I can slip them all in! :P), however there is absolutely no required knowledge about Ah! My Goddess! necessary to understand what's going on, the entire thing's in the world of InuYasha, and everything about Oh! My Goddess! is explained completely, only some of the main characters even appear at all (and they only make a cameo, rather than an actual role.). I only created an OC from the world of Aah! Megami-sama!, and he plays a larger role, he's one of my favourite oc characters I've ever written about :P**


	2. Concussion

InuYasha woke with a start, unfortunately deciding to bolt upright, looking around.

This, naturally, was an absolutely terrible idea, and of course, the waves of dizziness, nausea, and general world-tipping-on-axis feeling swept over him almost instantly, coupled neatly with the beginnings of an absolute migraine appearing on the edges of his consciousness and vision made for an almighty mother-of-God feeling of need to be finished off.

His general upper torso was giving him grief, as well as bruising in other places he had failed to mention to one raven-haired girl made everything start to look that he should jump off the nearest high place to alleviate his misery.

As he lay upon the soft covers he looked around, noticing that the day had given way to night, and that none of the lights were on in the room, save for the half-way opened door, and the light from the hallway fluorescent bulbs streaming in.

He also noticed that he was alone.

He listened carefully to the sounds of the house, unwilling to move from his spot.

In the next room was the sound of water splashing, and the sound of soft humming of the aforementioned raven-haired girl, his most immediate assumption was that she was having a bath, and turning slightly red, he shifted his ears elsewhere.

Upon this shifting however, he discovered that having blood rushing to his cheeks was an unmistakably bad idea, he could immediately feel something behind his right eye attempt to escape, and to cause as much pain as it could on the way out.

Attempting to grapple with this something proved fruitless, as his arms were useless, one broken at the wrist, the other at the top of his arm, something he did not find at all humorous, as well as the ribs he knew were also broken protesting greatly at the idea of wrestling with the pain behind his eye, InuYasha just gave up, both his fruitless struggle and his will to move.

To distract himself, his ears drifted downstairs, listening to Kagome's family, where her mother was downstairs preparing the evening meal, he could tell by the sound of the metal knife slicing decidedly through something that gave little resistance, and was being stopped by something wooden.

The woman was discussing something with her father, something that held little distraction for the hanyou, so he moved on, stopping when he found the boy Souta, and by the sound of it, he was playing with the cat that resided there at the shrine.

'I haven't seen InuYasha yet.' Souta was complaining. 'Onee-chan said he's not feeling well.' He explained to the clearly indifferent-sounding cat.

In fact, the cat was probably glad one eavesdropping hanyou was leaving him alone.

'I've never heard of InuYasha being sick before, he always seems so indestructible.' There was a pause. 'I'll bet Onee-chan's taking care of him real good to make up for that time that she got sick.' The boy made a disgusted noise. 'Liver,' he groaned.

In InuYasha's opinion however, the boy had been far too pampered, liver was a perfectly good cure for just about any illness.

'I wonder when InuYasha will just get off his high horse and tell Onee-chan that he loves her. She's clearly crazy about him.' Souta continued, huffing a little, and Buyo meowed in response.

_What does he mean, high horse?_ InuYasha thought to himself. _I haven't ridden a horse in my life. Stupid things, horses, not nearly fast enough. But he's right, Kagome _is_ crazy, she's insane if she thinks she's going to win this._ But then his heart sped a little faster, and the pounding in his head kept the increased tempo.

He attempted to shake his head, and failed.

_No, I will not give Miroku that win._ He huffed, then regretted it, his ribs protesting.

'Or maybe she should say it first.' Souta paused, seeming to think about it. 'Nah, even then, he wouldn't say it back. InuYasha's such a hothead.'

Any reaction thought he might have had was quelled, as the light suddenly came on in the room he was in, and the door opened wider, to show a figure appear, and that was the last thing he saw before his head exploded, and he fell almost gladly into the darkness.

Kagome, on the other hand, walked into the room wearing a comfy yellow dress, and holding a glass of water and some painkillers, to see InuYasha still out of it on her bed, and she gazed at him worriedly.

She strode over to him, and lightly patted his cheek.

'InuYasha?' She said, patting a little harder. 'InuYasha, can you hear me?'

He opened one unfocused eye at her blearily. 'Who are you?'

'I'm-'

'Oh, that's right.' He said, cutting her off and sitting upright.

'How are you feeling?' She asked, sitting on the corner of her bed next to him.

'I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine.' He said listlessly, not even appearing to register the repetition.

'You, sound it.'

He turned and gazed at her, with his slightly unnerving, out-of-focus expression, and she shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

'I don't know who you are, but you're still not as pretty as Kagome.' He said, folding his arms somehow, his eyes narrowing.

Kagome, on the other hand, wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.

_He must be a little delirious from the pain._ 'Really?' She responded, raising an eyebrow at him. 'Who's this Kagome?'

'She's this girl.' And that was clearly all he was going to say on the matter.

She was quiet for a second, before remembering her main goal.

'InuYasha? Here,' she said, taking his hand and depositing the white pills into it. 'Swallow these, it'll make you feel better.'

He looked at them suspiciously. 'What are they? They don't smell edible.'

'They won't hurt you, okay? Just trust me.'

'Trust you?' InuYasha snorted, glancing at her. 'I don't even know you.'

_Oh, right._ 'Well, uh, these are from Kagome. She said to swallow them.' She handed him the glass of water. 'Use this to wash them down.'

'Kagome said that?'

'Yes, she did.' _I just did._

'Are you sure?'

'I'm sure. Just do it, alright?'

He gave her a cynical look, then swallowed them quickly, followed by the glass of water.

Kagome smiled at him, then got up, to sit down at her chair, and she started rifling through her bag for her text books.

'So who are you again?'

Kagome sighed. _This is going to get old fast._

'If you don't recognize me, then I'm no one of particular interest.'

'What do you mean, don't recognize you? But I swear I've met you somewhere before.'

'You probably have.' Kagome responded dryly, pulling out her books and rifling for the right page.

'And where is Kagome?'

The girl glanced back at him. 'She's out, just buying some stuff. She said you should wait with me until she comes back.'

'Really?' He continued to gaze at her cynically. 'Maybe I should look for her.'

Kagome had to hold herself back from exclaiming out. 'If she's not back later, you can go and look for her, alright? Just wait-InuYasha!'

He had slumped sideways, lolling lifelessly onto the covers.

Kagome leapt to her feet and sprang over to him, rolling him off of his injured arm, keeping his head turned sideways to alleviate the weight.

To her relief he was still breathing, and an ear to his chest told her his heart was still strong.

'Must've kicked in pretty fast.' Kagome said, brushing the hair out of his face. 'Now, let's do something about those arms.'

* * *

**"Far too pampered", I think that's one of my new favourite lines that I've written. **

**Anyway, new chapter, and InuYasha's concussed to the point of memory loss, which goes to show what happens when he meets the wrong end of a club and he's being an idiot (which admittedly; is most of the time).**

**My original plan for this chapter was far more cheesy than this, all I got out of it was a mild heart attack from overdose of cheese and bad memories, but anyway, the new plan is better, and can actually be read without risk of cardiac arrest. So, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Also, as a side note, I'd thought I'd finished writing this story (not that this is the end! Not by far!), but because I was entirely unhappy with the ending, I'm extending it a bit, so you should all be happy that this is longer than originally intended. **

**Love you all, please review and tell me what you think!**

**InuKag**


	3. Training

Kagome was right.

Three days passed and InuYasha was back on his feet again, maybe only slightly a little wobbly.

It was a serious sort of cloudy Saturday morning, and Kagome was standing near the window of one of the classrooms at her school, where the tables and chairs had been stacked neatly along the back of the fairly large classroom.

InuYasha was leaning in the doorframe unobtrusively, a hat perched delicately over his ears and he was holding a bottle of water negligently in one hand.

Also in the classroom were a fair number of students from Kagome's year, about fifteen in total, and three people wearing dark green uniforms, all of whom were standing at the front of the classroom, explaining the course the students would be learning.

'So, have you got all that?' The blonde-haired ambulance nurse was saying, tapping the board importantly.

There was a general, positive consensus, as they moved slowly and precariously through the legal aspects of providing first aid.

_I highly doubt InuYasha's going to try to sue me if I save his life._ Kagome thought as they discussed permission.

InuYasha, however, was eyeing the plastic dolls scattered on the ground with suspicion.

He still had a splitting headache, but sore head or not, he was not going to let Kagome wander off through the city by herself, he himself had seen how many people lived there.

He wasn't going to take any chances.

So he wound up here, watching in on this class she was taking for some reason.

Five hours passed and Kagome was feeling relieved.

InuYasha was however looking a little less than pleased.

'And that's all for today. See you tomorrow, don't forget to bring a pen for the test!' The tall, sandy-haired ambulance medic encouraged, then cleared the way for the door.

Just about everyone left in a rush, pausing only to grab their personal belongings scattered along the wall under the window, however a few people remained, most were to ask a few questions to the staff, Kagome included.

'Well I would just encourage you not to get locked into your freezer at work then.' The medic said, before turning her attention from the gangly-looking youth to Kagome. 'What's your question?'

'Well, you see my friends and I like to go hiking,' Kagome started. She had been rehearsing this story ever since she had thought of the question. 'And we go into the mountains, where there isn't immediate medical help. Say, for example, one of us falls and hits their head, what's the best thing we can do for them?'

'The woman paused slightly. 'Well, you're best bet would be to somehow carry them to a place where you can get medical help without jostling them too much. Then call an ambulance.'

'I see.' Kagome said. 'Thanks.' And she turned away, thinking to herself, hitching her bag a little higher on her shoulder.

She started heading towards the door, only to see InuYasha, looking a little like a cornered dog, where a girl was standing directly in front of him, she had her hands clasped tightly under her chin and was wearing a distinctly starry-eyed expression.

'So who are you cosplaying? You know, I'm a massive fan of cosplaying, it's one of my favourite hobbies, just like reading manga. Can you give me your number, I wonder? Oh, that's a little forward, I just met you. What's your name? Could we cosplay together sometime?...' The girl was babbling.

Kagome felt her eyes narrow, and InuYasha mad the terrible decision to choose that moment to look over at her.

'Kagome!' He said hurriedly, walking over to her. 'Are you finished here yet? Let's go!'

'Oh,' said the girl, 'is she your,'

'I'm finished, sorry it took so long.' She smiled sweetly, and proceeded to pull him from the room, and down the corridor.

'What was that "cosplay" thing she was talking about?' InuYasha asked, keeping his face straight forward and attempting not to turn red nor wince slightly as Kagome continued to hold his elbow.

'Oh, it's where people dress up as book characters.'

'Why would they want to do that?' InuYasha frowned. 'That girl's following us, by the way,' he said under his breath.

'I know. And I don't really know why, they just find it fun.'

InuYasha raised an eyebrow at her. 'It seems kinda stupid.'

'Well, some people find different things fun. Anyway, didn't you learn anything from the class?' Kagome said, diverting the subject.

'Like what? It all seemed to be pretty common sense. You humans seem to rely a lot on these things called "ambulances".'

'But didn't you learn something, like how to deal with poisons?'

'Yeah, stop the person from moving and "call them an ambulance". I doubt any name-calling is going to help the situation in the slightest.'

'That's not what they meant.' Kagome said, shaking her head slightly.

'Well, what else would they mean?'

'To give someone a call means to, oh how should I put this, about two or three hundred years or so ago this one guy invented a telephone, which is a device that can give two people the ability to talk to each other no matter how far away they are. So the phrase is short for "calling someone on the telephone". So calling someone an ambulance means sending for an ambulance via telephone.'

'Hmph.'

'Never mind. You wouldn't have to worry about it in the feudal era anyway.'

* * *

'So InuYasha, Kagome said you had a cold. Was it really a cold?' One third grader said over dinner.

'No,' InuYasha grumbled between mouthfuls, 'it was nothing.'

'So I guess there's enough human in you to catch a cold.' Souta stated, not noticing the building electricity crackle around the table.

'I was not sick.' InuYasha stated defiantly, turning away from the boy, digging into his chicken.

'Well then what were you doing?' Souta persisted, clearly put out at being ignored for four days. 'Did you sprain something or something?'

'InuYasha nearly lost a fight with an ogre demon.' Kagome said, ignoring the withering look one hanyou sent her.

Souta's eyes went round, however. 'An _ogre demon_? A real live one?'

'What other kinds can you get?'

'How big was it? What colour was it? Was it really fierce? What did it look like? Was it really strong? How did you fight it?'

InuYasha looked a little helpless, buried alive under the questions.

'Three times as tall as him,' Kagome assisted, 'grey, yes, it had one eye and three fingers on each hand, very crude, very strong, and,' she glanced sideways at InuYasha. 'Hand to club, for some reason.'

'Wow, really? It would'a nearly killed you!'

'No it did not.' InuYasha said resolutely. 'And I took it down easily.'

Kagome snorted.

'I did so!' InuYasha turned on her.

'My foot.'

That derailed his building temper. 'What?'

'My foot you beat it easily.'

'What do your feet have to do with anything at all?'

Kagome started to facepalm, but then remembered she had chopsticks in her hand, so then decided otherwise, sighing. 'Never mind.'

'Kagome, dear?' Kagome's mother said. 'Is there any chance you could pick up some eggs on the way home tomorrow?'

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews thus far guys!**

**I'm really liking this story, even if it was originally written to get some story (and single chapter) ideas off my chest.**

**Anyway, please review!**

**InuKag**


	4. What if

The next morning was definitely cloudier than the previous, and a light rain was drifting down, quickly and effectively soaking all that was left uncovered.

'InuYasha, I insist.' Kagome was saying as they walked to the train station. 'We can go back after this, but right now, this is important.'

Kagome was hiding under the umbrella, and after much dispute, InuYasha had joined her, with much complaint, mostly involving "weakling" and "little showers".

'But we've already wasted four days. What if something important comes up?' InuYasha shot back.

'Even if something comes up, Miroku and Sango can handle it. They have more power than you give them credit for.'

InuYasha huffed. 'That's not what I meant.'

'So you're worried about them?' Kagome asked.

InuYasha shifted uncomfortably, having effectively trapped himself between a rock and a softhearted place once again. 'Forget it.'

'If you're so worried, you can go back now, and I'll be there this afternoon, if that's what you want.'

'I said; forget it!' InuYasha snapped, effectively ending the conversation as they stepped into the bustling train station. 'Remind me, why are we taking this metal contraption?'

'Because I don't really want to get wet.' Kagome said simply, pushing their way over to the ticket processors.

'I could have just carried you, you know.'

'But then I would have gotten wet.' Kagome said. 'Thanks anyway.'

After a brief hiccup at the processor gates, ('why can't I just go over it?') they made their way down the stairs and onto the surprisingly tightly packed train that had just arrived.

'I don't really understand how you were planning on taking this thing,' InuYasha said, looking around, staring suspiciously at the wrist straps dangling from the metal bar attached to the ceiling of the train. 'And are you planning on returning it?'

'No!' She said, hanging her head a little, 'We're just going to ride on it until it takes us to the place we need to go.'

'Are you sure you need to go to the training session today as well?' InuYasha asked, edging a little closer to the corner of the compartment that he was already standing in, and looking around over the top of her, watching as the train grew more and more tightly packed, flatly ignoring the odd strange look he got.

'Yes.' Kagome replied, 'this is the important one.' Her gaze turned unreadable, almost scared, and he frowned at her.

'What are you looking at me like that for?'

'Nothing,' Kagome said, shaking her head a little, 'nothing.'

Suddenly a loud and clear 'Doors Closing!' came over the speakers, followed by three short beeps, and the doors closed.

'This would have been easier if we'd done it my way.' InuYasha grumbled, clearly annoyed at the tightly packed people. 'And all this just so you didn't get a little water on you.'

'I'm sorry, alrig-whoah!'

The train lurched forward, knocking more than one person off their feet, and sending Kagome stumbling headlong into InuYasha's chest. 'Oof!'

'Are you alright?' InuYasha asked, already gaining the look that he was about to break his way out.

'I'm fine.' Kagome said, first attempting to step back, then to find a wrist strap, finding both to be a failure.

The compartment of the train seemed to be a little wobblier than usual, she found herself to be leaning against the ever immovable InuYasha, her hands flat against his chest.

'I still don't see the point of this,' InuYasha said, only slightly haltingly, wrapping one arm around her to hold her steady. 'This thing is slow and noisy.'

Kagome, on the other hand, could suddenly see a very big point to the train. 'Fine, we can do it your way on the way home. Are you feeling up to it?'

InuYasha was equally as suddenly sure he was feeling up for anything. 'Of course I am. What do you take me for?'

* * *

InuYasha wasn't sure whether to be shocked or to be angry beyond belief, and as such, he had turned a blotchetty red, and was more or less speechless on the verge of an explosion.

Kagome had turned a very deep shade of red, and was equally as quiet.

Some of the class for that day had been dedicated to wrapping bandages, but the rest had been set aside for the review, and CPR training.

Kagome successfully completed the course, passing with a ninety-two per cent score on her test, having concentrated on this two-day course more than anything she had done in quite a while, school-wise.

'Hey!' Came a voice from behind them. 'Uh, Higurashi-san!'

Kagome paused and looked back, to see the girl from yesterday hurrying towards them, waving a piece of paper in her hand.

The girl had pulled on a long, grey cape, and was wearing an oversized witches hat of the same colour, and was waving a cheap plastic wand with a star of the end in her other hand.

'Yes?' Kagome managed.

'You dropped your certificate.'

Kagome looked down to her hand, as if expecting the offending paper to materialize there, however it remained stubbornly in place. 'Oh. Thank you.' She said, instead opting for taking it from the girl, rather than relying on teleportation.

'So what do you think?' The girl said, swishing her cape a little at InuYasha. 'Do you recognize me?'

The direct question seemed to throw InuYasha. 'You're the girl from yesterday.'

'That's me. I'm Nagato.' She smiled broadly. 'Who are you?'

'I'm-'

'Sorry, but we really have to go.' Kagome cut him off. 'C'mon.' She said to InuYasha, turning on her heel and dragging him down the hall.

'But-!' The girl said as she disappeared out of sight around a corner.

'Why was Nagato dressed like that? Was she trying to be a sorcerer or dark priestess or something?'

'That's not actually her name. Do you remember how I said that some people like to dress up as book characters? Well she's one of them. And the character she was dressing up as is called "Nagato", not her.'

'Oh. Well that seems stupid.'

'Some people find it fun.'

'It still seems stupid.' InuYasha gritted his jaw. 'Just like that class.'

Kagome returned to her deep shade of red. 'It was useful.'

'No, it wasn't.'

'I could have used some of those bandaging techniques a week ago.' She said, looking at him meaningfully.

'Keh.'

'And, what if,' Kagome said haltingly, unable to continue.

'"What if"s never helps anybody, Kagome.' InuYasha said shortly.

'But they keep us prepared for what could happen.'

'That's just it, it's not gonna happen.'

'But what if it does? What if you pick a fight with someone too strong for you? What if Miroku, Sango and I can't be there to help you?' Kagome shuddered slightly. 'What if you say you can take someone, and I find you later d-, gone on the battlefield?'

'That won't happen.' InuYasha said flatly. 'I'm not that weak.'

'I never said you were!' Kagome very nearly exclaimed. 'I'm only, I just, worry.'

They passed through the front door, only to discover that the misty rain from earlier that morning had escalated into a fairly solid downpour.

Kagome sighed and shook out her umbrella.

* * *

**Hey, all! Latest chapter, wasn't sure if I was going to put it up today, so you're lucky you didn't have to wait another day! **

**Anyway, thanks for all the amazing reviews, keep it up!**

**Hahaha, I can't think of anything else to say, I'm so tired. **

**Review! I wanna know people's opinions, and have no fear, this story is definitely not a short one! :D**


	5. Lost

'Hey! What the hell was that for?'

Upon seeing one lecherous monk, said monk had approached InuYasha and quite soundly shoved him.

Miroku hesitated, then sighed. 'Aw. You got over it.'

'Got over what?'

'I was enjoying being able to floor you so easily.'

A split second later, Miroku was nursing a large egg on the side of his head as he picked himself up off the ground.

Shippou stepped out of Kaede's front door to where they were standing, and looked over at InuYasha. 'I thought I heard your voice.' He said, then turned his attention to Miroku. 'Pay up.'

Miroku hung his head. 'I'd thought you'd forgotten.'

'Hey, a demon never forgets.' Shippou said, catching the copper coin Miroku tossed at him.

'Did it really take you six days?' Miroku asked. 'To get better?'

Another lump mysteriously appeared on top of the one on Miroku's head. 'What the hell do you take me for?' InuYasha said. 'I was good in four. But I was never down to begin with.' He added.

'Sure you were.' Kagome rolled her eyes, and Miroku cleared his throat, looking meaningfully at Shippou.

'I'll have that coin back, thank you.'

'Fine.' Shippou said grumpily, tossing it back, along with a single leaf.

'Thank you.'

'Where's Sango?' Kagome asked, looking around.

'I haven't seen her.' Shippou said.

'She went to the next village over's blacksmith to get a new whetstone for her Hiraikotsu.' Tears began to stream down the monk's cheeks. 'She's already sending me broke,'

'Alright then.' Kagome said, then looked up at the light clouds high above them. 'At least the weather's better here.'

InuYasha snorted under his breath.

'Hey, isn't that Kirara?' Shippou said, pointing high above Miroku.

Miroku span, wiping his face on his sleeve, to see indeed the familiar twin tail, soaring through the sky towards them.

'Good timing.' Shippou commented, but as she got closer, the fox demon frowned. 'Where's Sango?'

Forty seconds later Kirara landed roughly, her eyes wide as she stared at Miroku.

'Right.' Miroku said instantly, ran over to her and leapt upon her back, Kirara immediately took off again, turning sharply, and flew off the way she came, with InuYasha, Kagome and Shippou right on their tails.

As soon as they landed, Kirara made herself small, and hid behind Miroku's ankles, mewing.

Miroku frowned at her for a moment, then looked around at their surroundings, being the outskirts of a larger village than the previous one, and a soon to be not-so-deserted street, as two very old women were bustling around the corner, gossiping to themselves.

InuYasha, Kagome and Shippou appeared between buildings, but did not approach Miroku as he crossed over to the two women, Kirara at his heels.

Evidently, these women had hearing difficulties, as their gossiping was louder than what it strictly should have been, since the topic of their discussion was the approaching monk.

'He's pretty easy on the eyes, but why does he have a cat with him?' One of them was saying.

'Maybe it's to ward off evil.' She said, then shook her head. 'But young people these days.' She gestured none to subtly at InuYasha and Kagome. 'Back when I was a young girl I was never allowed to even stand so close to my fiancée,-'

'Excuse me, young ladies,' Miroku said calmly, standing in front of them.

'What?' One of them said.

'Didn't catch that, sonny.' The other said.

'Excuse me! I'm looking for-' Miroku said loudly.

'Speak up, boy! It's no good to mumble around us!'

'I'M LOOKING FOR A WOMAN, A DEMON SLAYER.' Miroku shouted.

'A demon slayer?' One said.

'SHE'S TALL FOR A GIRL, YOUNGER THAN ME AND HAS A LARGE BOOMERANG NAMED HIRAIKOTSU.'

'I haven't seen anything like that,' the other replied. 'But if it's a weapon, maybe you should look at the blacksmith. He's over on the main road.' She gestured vaguely back the way they had come.

'Kids these days,' the first woman complained. 'Always being so noisy.'

'THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.' Miroku called, bowing slightly.

The two women walked away, shaking their heads, but Miroku immediately started hurrying in the direction they had come. 'Come on!' He said to the other three.

They rushed around the corner and down the next street, finding themselves on what must have been the main road, with many people selling wares that were spread out on blankets on the ground along a trickling creek and green grass on the side of the road.

'Excuse me, sir.' Miroku said, approaching one of the vendors. 'Would you be able to tell me where the blacksmiths are?'

The slightly portly man stood up from his blanket of earthen ware pots and brushed himself off. 'How much you wanna know for?' He said, rubbing his fingers eagerly.

InuYasha, however, was out of what little patience he possessed. He stepped up to plate, pushing Miroku out of the way. 'Are you suggesting I break your fingers?' He asked, cracking his knuckles darkly.

'It's just around that corner.' The vendor said quickly, pointing at a corner on the road about three down. 'On the left. You can't miss it.'

'Much appreciated.' Miroku said a little more lightly, looking around, then heading in the direction the vendor had indicated.

Kirara behind him mewed.

They arrived there quickly, Miroku was getting edgier by the step.

Outside the store was a young woman in a plain, brown kimono, carrying a large and clearly heavy pot filled with small, black rocks.

She spotted them, and called in a very clear voice out back, before disappearing inside. 'Hasami-san! Customers!'

'Excuse me-'

'Hey! You!' InuYasha interrupted, seizing the solid-looking, slightly balding man in a blackened apron by the collar that appeared from out back, wiping his hands on an oily rag.

'InuYasha!' Kagome protested.

'What is it you want from me?' The man whimpered. 'Please don't hurt me, demon, I have a wife and kids!'

'We're looking for a girl that might have come in here,' He looked sideways at the monk.

'Early yesterday afternoon.' Miroku supplied.

'She needed a new whetstone for her weapon; Hiraikotsu. You seen her?'

'No young women have stopped by my store in three days,' Started the blacksmith, 'except the lost princess of Kai.'

'The lost princess of Kai?' InuYasha lifted the man so his feet were only just touching the ground.

'Yes, she stopped by here mid-afternoon yesterday, where some soldiers recognized her.' He said. 'Please put me down,' he begged InuYasha, 'I can't breathe!'

'You can talk, can't'cha?'

'InuYasha,' Kagome said warningly.

Grumbling darkly, the man was lowered to his feet and released.

'Tell us more about this "lost princess".' Miroku said quickly.

'Well, this lord owns much of the land of Musashi, and he had many enemies. Nine years ago the lord's daughter three towns over went missing, it was thought that one of his enemies had stolen her. Now that she has been returned, the princess will be married and the land will have an heir once again.-Is that a two-tail?' The man jerked from his revere to stare at Kirara, who had been poking through the blacksmith's various wares around the open-front store.

She looked around at them all, then continued to struggle on pulling free a leather strap.

Shippou leapt down from Kagome's shoulder and walked over to examine it.

'Another demon!' The blacksmith said.

The entire group ignored him.

'Hey, isn't this?' Shippou started as he attempted to heave something cream coloured and clearly heavy from out where it had fallen.

Miroku strode over to the set of makeshift shelves holding what looked like rocks and promptly pushed it over, allowing one of the shelves to splinter unceremoniously, and he hefted the Hiraikotsu free from where it had ben wedged.

'My shelves!' The blacksmith exclaimed.

'Where did this come from then?' Miroku turn to face him, looking thunderous.

'I don't know, I think the princess was holding it when she was rescued by the soldiers!'

The blacksmith's helper appeared then, looking equally as murderous. 'What's all the noise out here?'

'Where was she taken?' Miroku demanded.

'Back to the castle, probably.' The girl shrugged, pointing with the mallet she was holding. 'It's about five days travel south west.'

'Let's go then.' Miroku said, already hurrying out of the shop.

'Thanks for your help!' Kagome said over her shoulder as she jogged after him, quickly followed by the others.

'Sango's not going to be marrying anyone but me!' Miroku proclaimed as Kirara transformed right in the middle of the road, and he leapt on her back as she was already moving.

* * *

**Re-reading this, I only realize now how much the storyline jumps from one thing to another, but don't worry! It's still relevant! **

**And it's also necessary, so please don't berate me on it.**

**Sorry about that!**

**Anyway, you shouldn't be complaining, this chapter's a decent length, and this story's more or less still in the setting stage.  
**

**Please review!**


	6. Bath

'I told you!' Sango was squirming, eager to get away from but not actually hurt the seven or so ladies in waiting. 'I'm not a princess! I'm a demon slayer! Demon! Slayer!'

'Yes, Princess Sakura.' Said one of the women as she pulled the ribbon from Sango's hair, and managed to get the cloth tied across her shoulders free. 'However with you returned we must prepare you for your wedding with your husband-to-be.'

'I will do no such thing!' Sango replied, unable to free herself from the hands of the women, she pressed herself up against the wall of the steamy bamboo room she was in, the large tub of hot water made the intentions of the women clear. 'Now let me go!'

'Come now,' another woman said, 'It can't be that bad for you to take a bath after your journey.' the woman managed to get her fingers to the knot of Sango's green smock, and it fell to the floor.

Flashes of pelting horseback flew at the poor girl, distracting her enough for the women to remove her kimono, revealing her slayers outfit underneath, bare of the shoulder, knee and elbow pads, and revealing the sword at her waist.

'My princess,' they gasped.

'I _told_ you all that I'm a demon slayer. I'm not a princess, I grew up far into the northwest, up in the higher mountains with my village of demon slayers! Like me!'

They didn't seem to be taking in a word she was saying, however.

'Whatever it is you're wearing, you must remove it for the bath, your highness.'

Her sword was snatched from her fingers, and the buttons at her throat were undone.

'At the very least, however, you must make yourself presentable to see your father and younger brother.'

'My who?' Sango hesitated, then flung herself free by launching herself off of the wall, revealing the concealed blade at her forearm, her gaze turning steely. 'I don't want to hurt you.' She said. 'My father died a long time ago, and my brother is, missing.' A little hitch appeared in her throat. 'Do not tell me who my relatives are, I know they are gone already. Tell me, is this man who poses as my father named "Naraku"?'

'No, my princess,' said a third woman, all of their eyes were suddenly filled with concern. 'Your father's name is Lord Ryuu, and your brother's name is Prince Akihigo. Your father is a kind and wise man who has sorely missed your presence these last nine years.'

'Alright.' Sango said, not relaxing from her defensive stance. 'Alright alright alright.' She shook her head a little. 'If I'm supposedly a princess, then I can give you orders, can I not?'

Some of the women jumped a little. 'I suppose.' said yet another.

'Very well then. I order you to leave me in peace for now. You can put posts outside the door if you like. Just leave me alone!'

The group hesitated for the longest moment, then filed out slowly, the last one hesitating to bow deeply. 'Yes, princess.'

Sango waited until the door was firmly closed before she moved.

She stood, examined the torn fabric that concealed her blade critically, then crossed over to the smallish window and looked out into the moonlight.

She remembered the confusing day she had had the previous day, how she had been kidnapped by soldiers, after her Hiraikotsu had disappeared from where she had left it when she was testing whetstones against her sword.

They had travelled hard, reducing what would have been about a five day journey into two, she had arrived not an hour before the disaster of her forcible bath.

'What am I going to do?' She asked herself, resting her elbows on the sill and her face in one hand.

She was much happier to just sit there against the relatively small window than to do as the women wished, and it gave her a little satisfaction to rebel against them.

Suddenly, and almost completely out of nowhere, a person came flying in through this window, colliding solidly with her, knocking the breath from her lungs as they fell to the floor.

They landed in a tangled mess, her blade suddenly very close to the person's neck, it didn't take her long to realize this person was a man, and a familiar one at that.

'Miroku?' She said, pulling the blade away from him.

Miroku scrambled off of her, sharply aware of said blade, pulling himself to his knees. 'It is you, Sango! Are you alr-oof!'

She had jerked herself to her knees and thrown herself at his chest, burying her face in his clavicle.

Miroku pulled a very stupid grin as he gazed down at her, which grew larger as he wrapped his arms around her.

'I was so worried!' Sango was saying, as InuYasha appeared through the window, landing precariously on the sill and clambering his way through, his eyes already searching the room. 'Where's Kagome?'

'Outside.' InuYasha said. 'I wasn't about to throw her too, in case I missed. Miroku, quit perving for a minute, would you? There are more important things to do.'

'No there's not.' Miroku said blissfully, and Sango looked down, only to realize she was very much squashed up against the monk's chest, and her buttons that would have normally held the fabric that held the front of her slayers outfit closed were more than a little undone.

She turned the deepest shade of red, and looking murderous, shoved him backwards, and he didn't seem to mind one bit.

'You lecherous monk!' She said, ramming her fist down upon his head.

Miroku just nodded, his eyes not leaving the sudden close-up of his own personal eighth wonder of the world, which was being hastily and unknowingly ineffectively covered.

InuYasha sighed loudly, then turned from his point of examining the door, bent and grabbed the pink-and-white striped kimono sitting on the floor on his way past, tossed it at Sango then hauled the slightly dazed monk to his feet.

'You're going to end up getting yourself killed, you know.' He said seriously. 'And if that happens, then Sango's gonna have to get married.'

'Tomorrow.' Sango said helpfully, turning away from the two to carefully do up her buttons and pull her arms through the sleeves, folding her blade back out of sight.

'Tomorrow.' InuYasha repeated, then looked at her. 'Tomorrow?'

'_Tomorrow?_' Miroku thundered, snapping from his revere.

'Shush!' Sango said. 'There are guards outside the door!'

'Right. Sorry.' Miroku said. 'But I won't let you marry anyone else!' He said in an undertone.

'I, wasn't planning on it.' Sango said haltingly.

'Hey. Lovebirds.' InuYasha interrupted, looking out the window. 'Are you just going to sit there, or are we going to figure a way out?'

Miroku looked around at the hanyou. 'You sound like you've come up with something.'

'There's a scent in here I know I've found somewhere before.' InuYasha said. 'All this steam is making it hard though,' he looked around at Sango, 'and there's a lot of _you_ in here. You must have really wrestled with those women.' He said, nodding over to by the entrance where the remainder of her clothes lay.

Miroku started to look a little distant at that thought, but was quickly brought back by a fist colliding soundly with his head.

'Well,' Miroku said as if nothing had happened, yet he still nursed his sore head. 'How about this. I'll delay here as much as I can, as will Sango,' he looked at her, 'Won't you, Sango, dear?'

She shot a glare at him. 'Of course I will.'

'While you, InuYasha,' Miroku continued, 'and Kagome can go and find this real princess.'

'I'll leave Kagome here, with you,' InuYasha said grudgingly, but then his voice turned dry. 'Kagome's good at interfering with things, and she would just get in the way with what I need to do.'

'Right.' Miroku said.

'Great. Now will you both get out?' Sango said hopefully. 'I'm not dressed for company.'

InuYasha shrugged. 'I don't care.' He said, seizing a far-away-eyed Miroku by the collar. 'Oi, Monk. Pay attention, you have to catch the branch this time.'

'Wait, wha-?' Miroku didn't have time to finish as he was thrown from the window, quickly followed by all-business InuYasha.

* * *

**Oh Miroku, you perv. **

**Review, please!**


	7. Plan

'So was it her?' Kagome whispered through the darkness as the two figures dropped from above her out of the tree.

'Yes,' Miroku sighed.

'Is she okay?' Shippou asked, and Kirara mewed inquiringly.

'She's fine.' InuYasha responded.

'She wasn't quite in her demon slayers outfit,' Miroku said dreamily. 'She's just so,'

'Violent?' InuYasha suggested, crossing his arms.

'That's the one,' Miroku agreed, '"voluptuous".'

'That's not what I said.' InuYasha grumbled.

Kagome sighed, not so much in relief as despair.

* * *

'And that is why we are appealing to you, holy man Miroku, to perform the ceremony of holy matrimony between my daughter and Prince Mitsuo here at noon today.'

Lord Ryuu was sitting in the broad room, with Prince Akihigo on one side of him, and Prince Mitsuo on the other.

Prince Akihigo was a boy who would have been only slightly younger than Sango, and did not look unlike an older version of Kohaku, but with longer hair and much broader shoulders.

Prince Mitsuo on the other hand was much more of a man, and a very good looking one at that.

'Very well.' Said the monk, nodding. 'However,' he leant a little closer, 'I can perform the Holy Ceremony of, Ultimate Good Fortune for the couple for a small price.'

'The Holy Ceremony of Ultimate Good Fortune?' The lord said. 'I've heard of that before.'

'The issue is, it would take me about two days to perform, however should this ceremony occur, a lifetime of good fortune is almost guaranteed.'

'Guaranteed?' Mitsuo spoke up. 'My Lord, it would be an honour for this man to perform the ceremony.'

'Very well then, holy one.' the Lord said. 'Have you any requirements or needs?'

'Just one,' Miroku said. 'You see, my sister here,' Miroku nodded sideways at Kagome, 'is a priestess who is further training herself by studying the ways of the world, and I have taken her under my care. My requirements are that we both have lodging until the ceremony.'

'This is easy to fulfill. My home is yours until my daughter is married.'

Miroku almost very slightly sighed a little in content.

The conversation turned to more idle matters, and Kagome excused herself quietly, claiming the need for a walk around the grounds.

She was soon standing under the shade of the wall, where a large tree was standing, in fact being the tree from the previous night.

'Are you there?' She hissed up at it, and was rewarded with a familiar figure in the dark shadows appearing.

'How did it go?'

'Great, Miroku's got that Lord wrapped around his little finger. Have you figured out the scent?'

'I'm pretty sure I have. Trust me on this.'

'Of course.' She said.

'It's gonna take me about two days to get her.' InuYasha warned. 'Can you stall for that long?'

'Not a problem, Miroku's scraped a fake good luck charm off the wall.'

InuYasha huffed a little. 'Alright. Be careful.'

Kagome made to respond, but a voice called out from behind her.

'Priestess!'

Kagome started, spinning to see the source of the noise, but when she glanced back at InuYasha, she saw that he was already gone.

'Priestess Kagome!' Called the voice, and Prince Akihigo appeared around the corner. 'There you are! I was concerned for your whereabouts.'

'How kind of you, Prince.' Kagome said, stepping quickly away from the tree.

'It was nothing.' Akihigo dismissed, then he looked around, as if checking they were by themselves. 'And when we are alone, you can call me "Akihigo", if you wish.'

'That would be improper of me, young prince.' Kagome said decidedly.

The prince took a step closer, leaning casually against the building she was standing next to.

'That's what makes it okay.' He said, leaning a little closer and lightly tracing a finger along her jawline. 'You want to know more about the world, do you not?'

'I should go.' Kagome said, ducking under his arm quickly and hurrying away, she could feel more than one pair of eyes following her.

* * *

'Kagome!' Sango was waving away a short man with a comb in one hand and a brush in the other when the priestess entered the room.

'Sango!' Kagome hurried over, and embraced the girl warmly.

The short man looked highly affronted at the display of affection, and bustled from the room with his nose in the air.

'Are you alright?' Kagome said, looking the girl up and down, holding her at arm's length.

'I'm fine.' Sango said. 'So what's going on?'

Kagome rolled her eyes. '"Holy Man Miroku" is going to perform your wedding ceremony in two days time.-'

'What?'

'-But don't worry, InuYasha will be back by then with the real princess, he left a little while ago, we'll switch you two, and everyone ends up happy.'

'I see, so Miroku is stalling?'

'That's the one.' Kagome said. 'Although,' she teased, 'you might want to consider Prince Mitsuo as a suitor, he's quite a catch.'

'That's not funny, Kagome.' Sango said, turning away and crossing her arms.

Kagome chuckled. 'So she only has eyes for the monk, eh?'

Sango flinched a little, turning red. 'That's not the point.'

Kagome laughed, but changed the subject. 'That Akihigo is quite a catch too.'

Sango moaned a little. 'Don't even start on that idiot. I met him this morning, he's rude, and obnoxious.'

'I _know._' Kagome said, then drew herself upright, lifting her hand palm up in front of her face. 'You can call me Akihigo when we're alone, if you like.' She said, lowering her voice to impersonate the prince, looking down her nose at Sango.

Sango laughed at that, but then grew serious. 'Did he really say that to you?'

'Yes,' Kagome said. 'But I can take care of myself.'

Sango stared at her for a moment, before moving on. 'So what's your story here? I doubt they would let a strange girl just wander around here as she pleases.'

'Nope, I am Priestess Kagome,' Kagome drew herself up a little higher, hitting the ground with an imaginary staff. 'And I am adventuring around the land in a search for knowledge, under the wing of my brother, Holy Man Miroku.'

'Fair enough.' Sango managed, before doubling over laughing. '"Holy Man", that lecherous monk's about as holy as my foot.'

There was a knocking at the door then, and the two quickly composed themselves.

'Yes?' Sango called, her energy drooping significantly.

'Princess,' Came a female voice, and Sango shuddered. 'Your father wishes an audience with you.'

'I should probably go,' Kagome said, eyeing the door.

'Very well,' Sango said, and seven women bustled in, almost stampeding Kagome in their haste.

'Save me,' Sango said half-heartedly as she was hurried from the room.

* * *

**I just HAD to do something for myself that I actually find fun, because if I didn't, I might just go stir-crazy. Well, more crazy than I already am.**

**So here you are, a chapter a few days early :)**

**Review, please!**


	8. Waiting Game

By the next morning, everyone was already moving in the very hustle-and-bustle manner that usually occurred before weddings.

Miroku had locked himself into the centre-most room in the castle, accepting only food, water, sake and ink, Kagome had a very deep suspicion that all he was doing in there was drinking.

She had also seen hide nor hair of InuYasha, but she simply trusted him in whatever he was doing.

Sango was slowly but effectively getting more and more agitated as she was forced to try on her tailor-made wedding gown, made mostly of white silk and golden thread, and the multiple other gowns she would be required to wear should the wedding occur with her in it.

Sango also hoped fervently that the actual princess had the same measurements as she did.

Kagome soon found herself wandering the surrounding village, which was one of the largest she had encountered in the past. She was also currently spending her time avoiding Prince Akihigo, and carrying around a bow and quiver in case an encounter should occur.

She had thoroughly explored the marketplace, and was exploring the quieter outskirts of the area, away from the hustle and bustle, where she came across a physician, a tall young man, with a kind smile

'Good morning,' he called to her as she approached, he himself had clearly just returned, the pack on his back stuffed full of freshly picked medicinal herbs.

'Good morning!' She said back as she approached the hut he was setting his pack down onto the porch of, where a smaller boy appeared, looking puffed, like he had been running.

'Morning, Onii-san!' He said cheerfully, before spotting the girl that joined them. 'How can I help?' He said, before glancing slightly at his brother.

'No, no,' the physician said, raising his hands, 'you take this one.'

'Thanks!' The boy said, before turning on her, but she raised her hands in a similar surrendering pose.

'Hold on, I'm not sick or anything.' She said lightly.

'Then how can we help?'The older brother responded.

'I was just wondering if you needed any.' Kagome eyed up the pack of herbs.

'Sure, assistance would be great.' He said, as he knelt, his hands delving into the pack and producing a plant with long stems.

'Onii-san, you said we were going to do it together!' The boy complained.

'"Many hands make light work", boy.' He looked up at her. 'I'm Hiro, this is Yuji. And thank you.'

'I'm Kagome,' she smiled as Hiro continued to unpack his herbs.

'Nice to meet you, Kagome. Are you a priestess?'

'You got me.' She took an armload of an herb, and sat down on the edge of porch.

Yuji joined her, expertly stripping the flower from the stems, throwing the petals on one pile at his feet and the leaves on the other side. 'Did you hear? Princess Sakura has returned to us!' He said seriously. 'I used to hear stories about her when I was a boy.'

'You still _are_ a boy.' Hiro responded, joining the lineup.

Yuji stuck his tongue out at him.

'Yes, I've seen her.' Kagome nearly had to laugh.

'Really?' Yuji said in a surprised tone. 'How?'

'Oh, the Holy Man that's performing the wedding ceremony is my brother.' She repeated.

'That's kind of cool.' Yuji said. 'So you're a traveler?'

'Yep, out to see the world.'

'You must have come from a pretty secluded place.' Hiro said. 'But a sense of adventure is something that seems to be in the air these days worse than the cold.'

'Oh?'

'We see a lot of travelers.' Yuji said. 'Lots of people come through these parts.'

'Not so many, now that winter's about to set in though.' Hiro corrected.

'It _has_ been cooling down lately.' Kagome agreed.

'And chills coming in by the bucket load.' Yuji nodded.

'And how do we cure the chills?' Hiro quizzed the boy.

'Warm blanket, plenty of water and enough bed rest to put anyone to sleep.' He recited back. 'Should be cured in a day or two.'

Hiro patted him on the head, smiling. 'You'll keep.'

'Thanks.' Yuji said dryly.

Kagome was imitating the boy, dividing the plant up. 'What are you going to do with all of these herbs?'

'They generally get used up pretty quickly, it's a big village, and not enough physicians to go around, so it's usually pretty interesting.' Hiro said. 'This should generally get us through the next week or so.'

'That does sound busy.'

'But with the wedding just around the corner that's bound to sky rocket.'

Yuji finished the last of his pile and stood, brushing spilled pollen off of his lap, and Kagome looked down into her own, to discover a small mound of yellow dust had collected there, raising a smell not unlike plum-blossoms to her nose, so strong that it suddenly made her eyes water.

'This is very strong-smelling.' She said almost surprisedly.

'Really?' Hiro said as Yuji retrieved a new armload of flowers. 'I don't notice anymore.'

'The pollen makes a great tea though.' Yuji said. 'It's good for stomach aches, and general illness. Although it is very sweet.'

'And here I thought little boys were all about sweets.' Hiro said, raising an eyebrow at the boy as he pulled his plants straight from the suddenly only three-quarters full pack.

'"Little"?' Yuji complained.

Hiro did not retract his statement, however, and Kagome made the unfortunate decision to sneeze.

She almost disappeared in a tiny cloud of sunny yellow, where as soon as she orientated herself she sprang to her feet, coughing greatly, scattering her pile of stems.

'Are you alright?' Hiro said, also standing, as Yuji began to laugh, holding his sides as they made their distinct effort to split.

Kagome coughed for a long moment, tears running down her face, but she waved away his concern, before she straightened suddenly, pulling a strange face as her coughing ceased, and to Yuji's great delight, she hiccuped.

'Oh dear,' Hiro said, and an unhelpful wide grin passed across his face.

'I think '-_hic-_'"oh dear" is right.'_hic_. Kagome said, covering her own mouth with one hand.

Hiro disappeared inside for a moment, before returning, with a flower, red this time, with long petals and black spots, held carefully at a distance.

'What's'-_hic_-'that for?'

'Here, take a smell.' Hiro said, passing it under her face.

She breathed in, frowning slightly. 'I can't smell anything.'

Hiro smiled at her, before carefully returning the flower inside.

Yuji continued in his mirth however, as Kagome dusted at the light coating of yellow that seemed to collect on her, before noticing she had stopped hiccuping as Hiro appeared once more.

'This stuff irritates the chest.' He said, taking a pinch of the pollen and rubbing it between two fingers. 'It's a pity, the petals do wonders.'

'I can see that.' Kagome said, running her fingers through her powdery hair.

* * *

**Even though they're a part of the filler (yes I'm admitting this is a filler), I really like Hiro and Yuji, they make a great team.**

**I'm going away for a week, and because I love you guys (and would rather do this than work), I'm updating now and not week after next, so please show your appreciation by reviewing! :P**

**Oh, I just remembered, the next few chapters will be short (only a little shorter, but shorter none the less), so sorry about that, but the stuff that happens should make up for it! Then after the short ones the few after that will be longer to make up for it if the content does not.**

**Anyway, see you later!**


	9. Waterfall

It was early in the morning of the third day, and Kagome was sitting on the precipice of a nearby cliff, where a waterfall that fed into a small lake some fifteen meters below became the swift-running river that ran through the middle of and watered the town.

She had spent most of her time with Hiro and Yuji, mostly to learn a little more about the plants that seemed to grow in abundance in the area, but also a little to hide from the very forward Prince Akihigo, and she was fairly sure that Lord Ryuu wouldn't take to kindly if she shot his son.

It was a very nice view of the opposite hillside, and the stiff breeze was blowing up the hillside, lifting strands of her hair across her face no matter how often she pushed them away, and if she looked down the river, she could just see the beginnings of the village, that was set out in the flatter area beyond the hills.

She stood and brushed herself off, then drew her bow, taking as careful aim as she could at a tree near the edge of the water, and shot it, watching as it glowed bright pink as it flew through the air and hit the edge of a large knot in the tree, where it pushed almost a warm breeze back up towards her.

'Damn it.' She said, hooking the bow back over her shoulder and turning away grouchily.

She followed the river back towards the village, treading carefully along the rocky edge, noting how high the sun suddenly seemed in the sky for quite a ways, her eyes on a bridge further ahead, that which she would have to cross to get back, and it was then she spotted a figure approaching upon it.

'Is that you, Priestess Kagome?' Waved the figure, and her heart sank as she approached.

'Yes, it's me.' She muttered to herself, kicking a stone into the fast-running water.

'I took it upon myself to search for you,' Prince Akihigo called, 'am I finding you well?'

'Not now that you're here.' Kagome said under her breath. 'You are, Prince.' She returned.

'I insisted you call me Akihigo.' He said as she stepped onto the bridge.

'And I insisted that I not.' Kagome replied a little shortly.

'Why are you so cold to only me, priestess?'

_Because you're a turd_. 'I have no answer for you.'

The prince laughed. 'It's a harsh reality, is it not?' He stepped over to the edge of the rail-less bridge, his eyes a little distant.

'I have learnt it to be so.' Kagome said, imitating his stuck-up manner of speech, crossing her arms.

'Tell me, fair priestess, what other things have you learned? I'll bet you have many weak-hearted men at your feet with such beauty.' He said, his eyes turning towards her.

Kagome very nearly laughed out loud at the image of the last time she had sat one InuYasha. 'I know that men are not as weak as that.'

The prince laughed again, but his eyes were piercing. 'As a priestess, I would assume that you have kept to your vows?'

'Of course.' _Vows?_ Kagome thought, however she did not want to seem the fool in front of such an offensive guy.

'Well then how about this, you can stay here at the castle to be my personal friend for when I get lonely?'

Kagome's eyes nearly fell out at his implication. 'How about no?' She suggested.

'Well that's too bad,' the prince said, suddenly seizing the top of her arm.

'Hey!' She said, trying to break free. 'Let me go!'

She twisted and turned, and he fought against her, until she finally wrenched herself free, where she overbalanced, and fell into the river with a startled yelp.

The river was shockingly cold, it took her breath away even as she struggled to regain it, her eyes returned to where the prince was, and he was clearly caught in a moment of indecision.

'Help me!' She shouted at him, before being pulled under momentarily.

Now, Kagome was a fairly good swimmer, but the current made it absolutely impossible to swim in any direction that the current didn't want her to go.

It pulled her quickly downstream, banging her up against more than one rock, until it seemed the river just suddenly ended.

_No.._. She thought as she realized, and suddenly redoubled her efforts to swim back, or sideways, or latch onto anything that wasn't already moving.

And then suddenly she was falling, and in that instant, she managed to regain half a lungful of air, then the water hit again.

However, this time it wasn't forcing her forwards, it was forcing her down.

It stole the air back again from her, and with her back flat against the bottom of the pool, she closed her eyes.

* * *

**Hey all :) I'm back, and a chapter to celebrate. Well, if you could call this a celebration...**

**And again, sorry about the short chapter, but I was busy! And I did warn you about it.**

**Review!**


	10. Switch

'Here' InuYasha was saying, dropping a young woman in a in a plain, brown kimono, who was up to her elbows in black dust.

'Are you sure this is her?' Sango said, gazing wide-eyed at the girl, suddenly noticing how similar she looked to herself. 'I saw her about four days ago. Isn't she-?'

'Yep.' InuYasha said, ignoring the curses the girl was throwing at him as she gathered herself back up, not noticing the mess of black smudges she was leaving on the floor. 'Same scent as the one in the less-used parts of the castle. If not a little older.' He amended.

'What's your name?' Sango crouched and asked the girl.

'Sakura. Sakura Ukyo. Can you at least tell me why I'm suddenly getting kidnapped by demons?' She shot, shuffling away from InuYasha, before pausing, staring at Sango. 'We look the same.' She stated surprisedly.

'How long have you been working at that blacksmith's?'

'Ever since I was hit on the head by one of his pots nine years ago.'

'What did you do before that?' Sango's eyebrows raised ever so slightly, but she did not comment on the story.

'I can't really remember very well, but I was running away because my father wanted me to get married.' Ukyo frowned, then began to wipe most of the dust from her hands onto the floor.

'There we go.' InuYasha said shortly, crossing his arms. 'Problem solved.'

Sango helped the girl to her feet, then pulled her over to the window of the large room they were in.

She pointed out the window down to the courtyard it overlooked, down to where Prince Mitsuo was standing, under the cherry blossom tree that was planted there and looking up through the bare-looking branches towards the sky.

'See him? He was the one you were going to marry.' Sango said, being careful to stay out of sight of the said window.

Mitsuo must have felt eyes on him, for he turned, to see Ukyo standing at the window, staring at him.

'Princess,' he called up to her, 'my love, I was just thinking of you. Perhaps we could watch these own flowers bloom together that which whose name and beauty becomes you so, come springtime?'

Ukyo seemed to be mildly speechless, she only barely managed to wave back down to him woodenly.

'Even better.' InuYasha said as Sango moved over to stand next to him, smiling slightly. 'You get to marry him, we get Sango back, and we can go. We've wasted too much time here anyway.'

'Would that be okay?' Sango asked the girl.

'That, would be okay.' She replied, suddenly looking a little wobbly as she came away from the window.

'Right. Let's go.' InuYasha said, looking back towards the door. 'I have a bad feeling.'

Sango looked at him for a moment, InuYasha's gut wasn't usually wrong. 'Right. Let's get out of here.' She said, already hurrying towards the door.

They encountered little to no one in their way, only having to duck out of sight thrice behind walls and around corners to hide from passing servants and at one point, an agitated looking Akihgo, and clamber out of a window and over the outer fence.

'So Miroku's going to marry the happy couple then we'll be on our way?' Sango asked as they arrived at the base of the wall by the river, with the overhanging tree that had come to be the groups meeting place, hidden cleverly as it was behind the main building, the sound of the river's nostalgic rushing past easily reached human ears.

'Yes.' InuYasha said shortly, he was barely listening as his keen gaze roved around the clearing. 'Where's Kagome?'

'She went for a-what's wrong?'

InuYasha had span to face the river, then snapped to where the source was coming from, then was gone, just vanished, he was moving so fast.

'InuYasha?' Sango said to the empty air, she knew that any hope of catching up to him on foot was foolhardy.

There was an almighty thud next to her and a familiar _huff_ that nearly sent Sango out of her skin, then she embraced the twin tail that had landed, with a fox demon and a Hiraikotsu on her back.

'Come on, Kirara. Let's go after InuYasha!'

* * *

The first thing Kagome felt was a burning in her throat, and she coughed up what felt like acid, but tasted a little more like water, however she couldn't think enough to figure out the difference.

She was completely drenched, soaked to the bone, and something else was dripping on her, she forced her eyes open and looked up blearily, her teeth chattering, it was very cold.

'Can you hear me?' A familiar voice was saying, and a pair of honey-golden eyes were staring at her intently.

She made to speak, but all she could do was cough and retch, bringing up more and more water.

'It's alright,' said another voice from very close by, and the source of this voice appeared in her vision.

She looked at the three people crouching over her, and one of them disappeared from her sights, and the dripping stopped.

'I-' More spluttering, more water, she seemed to have none left, and the blackness overcame her again, soft.

* * *

**I was re-reading this chapter and my immediate thought was "hoooly crap that's short". So I've padded it out a little bit, but it certainly doesn't seem it :( .**

**Hands up to anyone who got my reference with Sango and Ukyo Sakura. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself, and anyone who reads Ranma 1/2, I give a shoutout to :)**

**Anyway, because this chapter is so short, I figure I'll update a day or two early, but like I said, the next few are respectably long, so don't hate me.  
**

**This here's a response to a review to****Formidable Rain**, but I think lots of people will want to read it, so here you go.

******You're right about the prince, I was seriously tempted to have both fall in, then only Kagome be rescued. But, this is just how it turned out. I completely understand how you feel, it irritates me greatly that Kagome just wanders around and everyone seems to think that her weird-ass (and incredibly short) (for that time period) outfit (her school uniform) is a priestess outfit that I think she looks so much better in. Yes it is ridiculous, but I stick to however ridiculous the manga/anime (usually the manga more) is being, so yes, she's in her school uniform, and for some reason, everyone immediately (and stupidly) assumes she's a priestess. It seems the only time that she DOESN'T wear that ridiculous outfit is when she's wearing InuYasha's haori (because her uniform is somehow out of reach).**

**Shoutouts to DreamChasingRacer; thanks for the review! Melodyrose621; sorry for the cliffie, but it's more exciting that way! CityOfFallenAshes; here you are, hope this suffices till next time! and thanks for the continued reviews! and also to ****Formidable Rain; thanks for the review, I've already responded to you (see above :P ).**


	11. Walking

Kagome awoke much more pleasantly this time, to discover she was on the move, a familiar set of powerful shoulders under her, swaying a little in time to his footsteps.

'Mmph?'

'Oh, Kagome.' Miroku said from next to her brightly. 'Good morning. How are you feeling?'

She yawned, feeling strangely exhausted, her lungs and throat were aching dully. 'I've been better. Where are we?'

'On our way back to Kaede's. We don't really have to rush this time, so why hurry?'

Kagome nodded a little, then rested her head against the back of InuYasha's neck. 'Did the switch go okay?'

'Yep.' Sango said equally as brightly, leaning around Miroku, a hand pinching the back of a wandering one, and the monk pulled a slightly pained face. 'Princess Ukyo and I are a spitting image, as it turns out, even I'm not entirely surprised those soldiers mistook me for her. So we switched and she'll live happily ever after with Mitsuo.'

'Who was the princess?' Kagome asked curiously. 'I never actually met the girl.'

'You have!-' Shippou said from the other side of her.

'But I think InuYasha should field this question.' Miroku smoothly cut off the fox demon, turning his attention to the hanyou.

There was a beat of silence, before; 'It was that blacksmith girl; whatever her name was.' InuYasha said shortly.

'Ukyo Sakura.' Sango filled in. 'Sakura's her actual name, I'm not really sure where Ukyo came from, but she picked it up somewhere after she became lost.'

'Really?' Kagome paused to compare the two girls in her mind's eye, frowning a little. 'Well now that I think about it, you're right, they did look really similar.'

'So what happened to you, Kagome?' Shippou asked, jumping onto InuYasha's shoulder, only to be swatted off. 'Hey! What was that for?'

'Stay off'a me!'

'What's got you in such a bad mood, InuYasha?' Kagome asked curiously.

Sango snorted, in a very unladylike fashion, than promptly burst out laughing.

'Shut up!' InuYasha exclaimed, glaring at her.

'What's this?' Miroku asked, his eyes ablaze with curiosity.

'It's nothing!' InuYasha said harshly.

'It doesn't seem like nothing to me.' Miroku said in a tone of a child longing for an ideal toy, scuffing his feet in the dust a little.

'Me either.' Sango managed between fits of laughter.

'What's she talking about, InuYasha?' Kagome asked, peering around his jawbone at him.

'Never mind.' InuYasha said irritably, turning his face away from her, suddenly finding his other shoulder very interesting, but even his neck had gone scarlet.

'Go on InuYasha, it can't be that bad.' Shippou made the unfortunate decision to say.

Not a single second later he had an egg almost half the size of his head sitting upon it, and he was seeing stars.

'What was that for?' He asked dizzily.

'InuYasha!' Kagome said in a shocked tone. 'Shippou, are you okay?' She looked back to see the fox tyke, as InuYasha had kept walking after hitting him.

'I'm okay,' Shippou smiled, tried to stand, and fell upon his rump quite soundly.

'InuYasha, let me down!' Kagome said, turning her attention back to the hanyou. 'That wasn't very nice of you.'

'No.' InuYasha replied, his colour fading back to normal, and he was getting that stubborn tone in his voice that reminded the group of an old goat refusing to move.

'Put me down!'

'No!'

Sango burst into further peals of laughter.

'Shut up, you!' InuYasha shot at her.

'Put me down, now!'

'No way!'

'Why not?'

'You're not going to be able to stand.' InuYasha answered matter-of-fact.

'Just watch me.' Kagome stuck her nose in the air, looking back at Shippou.

'I don't need to.'

'Why not?'

'Because I'm not gonna put you down.'

Kagome suddenly felt like pulling at her hair a little.

Instead, she opted for his.

'Hey! Hey!' InuYasha said, attempting to glare back at her. 'That hurts!'

'Well then put me down!'

'Fine!' He said, dropping her with a _whumph_, then turning to face her, crossing his arms, planting his feet solidly.

'Thank you.' She replied shortly, then pulled herself to her feet, rubbing her posterior a little.

'See? I told... you...' Kagome swayed dangerously, pressing one hand to her temple, and nearly toppled over, had InuYasha not caught her against his chest.

'Who told who so again?' InuYasha asked irritably, wrapping an arm around her waist securely, flatly ignoring the raised-eyebrow look that Sango and Miroku were exchanging.

'Fine.' Kagome said, her energy suddenly sapped. 'Since you're clearly the expert, why don't you tell me why exactly I'm so dizzy?' She said in the most accusing tone she could manage, but he was obviously ignoring it, his look was that of concern.

'Because you were under water for too long. It's gonna take you at least until tomorrow to get over it.'

'Under, water?' Kagome said a little confusedly, then she blinked. 'That's right, I fell into the river.'

'So that's what you were doing in the water.' Sango commented.

'You fell in?' InuYasha asked her.

'Well sort of. Prince Akihigo, the princess's brother, was being a little pushy, and I sort of fell in?' She shrugged, then frowned, closing her eyes for a moment to think. 'Yeah, that's it.'

'What?' InuYasha's tone turned more than slightly deadly.

'It's over, InuYasha. Chances are we'll never see him again.' She said with her own stubborn note.

'I'd better not.' InuYasha's tone was not improving.

'Just, give me an hand, would you?' She said a little awkwardly. 'We're not going to get very far if I can't walk.'

This caused Sango to laugh again, holding her stomach, ignoring the icy glare InuYasha sent her.

'Come on Sango, teeelllll meeeee,' Miroku begged, tugging on her elbow.

'I'll tell you later.' She managed, tears of laughter appearing in the corners of her eyes.

'Don't you even dare.' InuYasha said, finally forced to break his ice look as he helped Kagome back onto his back.

'Tell me what?' Miroku asked as they started walking again.

'Don't leave me behind!' Shippou called out behind them as he shook the stars away and hurried to catch up with them.

'Why the hell not?' InuYasha asked.

'InuYasha,' Kagome said warningly.

'Keh.'

* * *

**I know it's a little early, but I just felt like updating. This is also to make up for the shorter chapters that we've been having, and also to show the end of them. The next couple after this will be pretty long, so that should make you all feel a little better :). **

**By the way, in case you were wondering, no this isn't anywhere close to the end of the story. To put it into perspective, to those of you who read my last really long fanfiction (called I'm With You, based in an alternate universe where InuYasha's saving Kagome from her past, and there's even a little vice versa), where a lot of people seemed to think that the prom was the ending, but there was about another fifty thousand words after that? Yep this is like that. **

**We're in this for the long run.**

**Also, to those of you who haven't read I'm With You, I really recommend it. I had a lot of fun writing it, and a lot of my readers had a lot of fun reading it, despite its dark themes (that just makes it more interesting, no?).**

**I also shamelessly advertise my other story, Live, Laugh, Love, it's also completed (the same as I'm With You, in case I'm not updating fast enough for your tastes :P). Live, Laugh, Love is told in diary entries between Kagome and InuYasha about life in highschool (I was seriously thinking about naming it Three Weeks in Highschool) and the twisting and turning of love.**

**Please review, and if you decide to read my other stories, please review on that respective story as well!**

**I love getting reviews, they always encourage me to write more, as well as I can take the critiques on board as I write.**

**Hahaha, I'm looking up and realizing that my author's note is ridiculously long, so I'll end it here.**

**Love you all,**

**InuKag**


	12. Fireflies

'Ah, I knew it was too good to last.' Miroku sighed forelonely, looking around the meager campfire and into the darkness.

They were camped up against a giant fallen tree, where moss was slowly creeping its way up the sides of it, and Kagome was sitting against this moss where InuYasha had placed her, and he was now gone fishing moodily.

'What do you mean?' Sango asked him, but Kagome answered in his place.

'Because the Ultimate Ceremony of Good Fortune involves a lot of lounging around and drinking.'

'How little faith you have in me!' Miroku protested. 'I put a lot of work-'

'And alcohol.' Kagome interrupted,

'-and effort into that ceremony!' Miroku overrode her, acting as if the girl had not spoken, apart from laying a hand over his clearly wounded heart.

'What did you do with all that ink you were being supplied with?' Sango questioned.

'Poured it out the window, probably.' Kagome quipped.

'No I did not! I made a very large good fortune sutra that would most certainly bring them good fortune. Probably.' He tacked on as an afterthought, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Kagome laughed a little. 'Thought so.' She regretted the movement though, as she swayed against the log, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Miroku turned his attention to Sango, leaning a little closer. 'Are you going to tell me now what's got InuYasha so embarrassed?'

Sango looked at Kagome, a sly look behind her eyes. 'After you fell into the river, what was the next thing you remember?'

Kagome thought back. 'I think I went over a waterfall?'

Sango nodded. 'You must have. When I found InuYasha, he was hauling you out from the bottom of that pool at the base of that waterfall.'

'What happened next?' Kagome asked, and Sango started to speak, an imp-like grin across her lips, but was cut off.

'Nothing.' InuYasha said, coming out of the trees, a respectable string of fish strung over his shoulder, the Tetsusaiga in his other hand. 'You were unconscious. You came to for about two seconds, then fell asleep.'

'Is that so?' Sango asked him, raising her eyebrows.

InuYasha chose to ignore her, purely on the principle that he didn't hit girls.

'Kagome?' He said, then hesitated, turning a little red, 'Come down to the stream, there's something you'd wanna see.'

'Huh?' Kagome looked at him surprised. 'Oh, alright. Could you help me up?'

He wordlessly assisted her to her unsteady feet, and wrapped an arm securely around her waist, helped her along and out of sight among the trees.

'Just like a mother hen, don't you think?' Sango commented, then leapt to her feet and seized Miroku by the collar. 'Now let's go. There's no way in hell I'm missing this.'

* * *

Kagome sat down on the broken stump of a tree, and looked around, only to have her breath stolen.

'Oh wow,' she said, looking around at the low-hanging shrubs that leant low into the water, surrounded by disconnected tiny balls of green-ey yellow-ey light.

She was at a small bend in the stream, that would have been only three or four paces wide, but she could see the reflection of the odd fish easily against the rocks in the moonlight.

'It's beautiful.'

'It's easy to see the fish in this kind of light.' InuYasha commented a little indifferently, from his point at her side, only half-turning to see the view.

'So what did you want to talk to me about?' Kagome asked, looking at him.

InuYasha immediately grew defensive, and red, raising his hands slightly. 'Who the hell said anything about wanting to talk?'

'You wouldn't bring me all the way out here for a view, no matter how beautiful. So what did you want to talk about?' She wasn't pressuring it, just honestly curious.

InuYasha was silent for a moment, obviously torn, letting his hands drop and taking a few steps foreword on the smooth pebbles to stand directly in front of her. 'Alright,' he eventually said, refusing to look at her, 'I apologize.'

Kagome blinked at him. 'That's unusual for you. For what?'

'I lied, a little.' He defended. 'Among, other things,' he continued, turning away, to face the stream.

'What do you mean?' She frowned.

'When I had just switched Sango and Ukyo or whatever, Sango and I escaped, where we met Shippou and Kirara outside the wall.' InuYasha sat down, but he seemed to be telling the story to the fireflies in front of him in a flat monotone, rather to Kagome, who was behind. 'I noticed your scent on the water and knew that something was wrong. So I followed it upriver, and saw your arrow in one of the trees, so I figured that you'd been in a fight. Then I realized your scent wasn't in the waterfall itself, nor at the top, so you must have been underneath it, so I dove in and got you out.' He paused, his shoulders tightening slightly, he was obviously remembering that horrifying moment of finding her at the bottom of the waterfall. 'I brought you to the shore, but you weren't breathing. Your heart was beating, I could hear it. But you weren't breathing.' He repeated, sounding the slightest bit shaky as he took in his next breath. 'I managed to get some water out, but you still didn't breathe.' He hunched over a little, like a puppy expecting a beating. 'I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything else to do!' He said defensively. 'Sango showed up but she was no help! None at all! I thought you were gonna, die.' He seemed to shrink a little smaller, as if admitting to thinking something horrible. 'There wasn't anything else I could do! So I, uh,' he floundered helplessly for a moment, a deep shade of red, 'kind of, shared my breath with you. Like those ambulance idiots from your time said. I'm sorry.' He had obviously thought the whole thing was a bad idea, but he had obviously been desperate, and his ears had drooped like she would refuse to ever speak to him again, much like a disobedient puppy.

InuYasha was obviously in for the shock of his life however when he was quite suddenly hugged from behind, arms thrown around his neck and a warm face buried in the side of his neck.

'Kagome?' He said, resting a hand against her wrist and trying to peek down at her with wide eyes.

There was the sound of a muffled chuckle, and suddenly she was leaning on him a lot more heavily.

'I moved too quickly.' She said a little dizzily, pulling back a little.

He took this as an opportunity to turn to face her, still in shock.

'You're not mad at me?'

'Why would I be mad?' She said, touching his cheek lightly with her fingertips.

He frowned slightly, not noticing he was reaching for those fingers until his own fingertips brushed her slender hand. 'You're being-' he started, but could not finish.

She kissed him, taking advantage of his slightly-open-mouthed moment of hesitation in his sentence, suddenly seemingly over her moment of dizziness, however had anything vaguely resembling thought been inside his head at that point and not drifting away, he would have been skeptical.

He was even more shocked at this, however this time he just twisted himself around further to make his position a little more comfortable, tangling his fingers in her hair, holding her steady.

She pulled back for a moment, breathing deeply. 'And you see? I told you that those first aid classes would be useful.'

He rolled his eyes dryly, but then pulled her back into a kiss, pulling her a little closer in.

He was immediately alert however when the twig snapped, almost like a gunshot in the dark.

And in the next instant, InuYasha was free and he was crouching defensively in front of Kagome, his arms thrown out slightly behind him like a wall, solid and immovable.

But he couldn't help it, he licked his lips slightly, and some suddenly boxed off corner of his mind was enjoying the taste that still remained.

* * *

**Hahaha! You all love me. *starts cheering madly***

**I thought I'd do an extra-special update today; it's my birthday! :DD**

**Yo GoDdEsS oF ThE aBySs, actually people HAVE told me that Eri's name is Eri not Eddi, but I don't write about her very often and it's never written down anywhere (in the manga Kagome's friends don't even have names, let alone spelling), so I keep forgetting, sorry! I'll remember next time!**

**And City Of Fallen Ashes, I totally agree, they are so cute! Even when arguing!**

**Please review!**


	13. Betting Debt Repaid

'Don't get excited,' a voice called, and obvious footsteps approached, InuYasha stood, relaxing out of his stance, but still cracking his knuckles.

Miroku stepped into the clearing, dusting himself off calmly.

'What are you doing here?' InuYasha said shortly.

'I got kicked out for no particular reason.' Miroku shrugged, clearly lying. 'So I decided to go for a walk. I didn't think you'd be this far downstream, though.'

InuYasha still vaguely resembled a thundercloud, he knew perfectly well that the monk had been looking for them. 'Oh? And what did she tell you?'

Miroku's nonchalent manner seemed to aggravate InuYasha all the more. 'She only said that you saved Kagome's life through some unorthadox methods. She seems to find it hilarious though.' Miroku shook his head. 'Some women's minds are gone like that. Ah, well. Oh, good evening, Kagome.' He spotted her in the shadows. 'I nearly didn't see you there.'

'Hi, Miroku.' She didn't mean for it to sound so snappish, and it most definately gave the game away.

Miroku looked between the two, grinning slightly. 'I at least can tell when I'm intruding. I'll continue on my walk and be on my way.' He took a few steps closer and clapped InuYasha on the shoulder. 'You've admitted your defeat about our bet, I see.'

InuYasha turned beet red and was immediately and obviously filled with chargin. 'I didn't!'

Miroku shrugged again, his smile broad, and left, wandering on downriver.

'That bastard.' InuYasha huffed, crossing his arms.

'You never did tell me what would happen if you lost that bet with Miroku.' Kagome commented. 'What was it?'

'Nothing.' InuYasha said, turning back to face her, but then turned a slightly darker shade of red. 'Wait, it wasn't, what you think,' as Kagome had paled slightly, 'it was just, that I, uh, had to apologize to you, should the occasion occur, once.'

'Oh.' Kagome's colour came almost flooding back, and she turned a little red.

'I, uh,' he said as he crouched in front of her, then sat, turning further shades of scarlet.

She bit her lip shyly, breaking his eye contact, and he just couldn't help it.

He kissed her only slightly more forcefully than before, tracing his razor-sharp nails as lightly as he could from the centre of her throat to her chin, unsure as to how much she would see as appropriate, as he was currently in the process of giving his own morals on the subject cement shoes and a long walk off a short pier, however this tracing sent an obvious shiver down her, he could feel it in her lips, and her hands, that were shifting constantly, one was at his cheek, another on his neck.

This action served to double the force she was using, and he could only think one word, _need_.

One of her hands found his ears, and she fiddled with that, sending shivers down his own spine, and knew that if this went on much furthur, then he wouldn't be held responsible for what he did next.

He pulled back, unable to quite look at her directly, instead opting for a smooth looking rock behind her. 'Are you still feeling dizzy?'

She paused, then swayed slightly in his hands, and chuckled. 'Now that you mention it,' she said, 'I think I forgot to breathe for a moment there.'

InuYasha had returned his gaze to her concernedly, but found his thoughts scattered as he watched her speak, those lips meeting and parting to form the words.

However his attention was seized once again by a distraction, however it was much more subtle than the first, as the gentle breeze changed direction.

He almost wanted to sigh, or swear, exasperatedly, as he found the source out of the corner of his eye.

'What's the matter?' Kagome asked, proving to be a bigger distraction than the first.

'Hold on,' he said, pushing himself into a crouched position, taking the girl by the shoulders in one arm and her knees under the other into a carrying position slightly closer than bridal, ('What's going on?' She'd questioned,) and pushed them both above the treeline, out of sight of one newly appeared eavesdropping demon slayer.

'Nothing,' he said as they landed on the other side of the dimly lit stream, and slightly into the line of slightly stunted trees. 'Just avoiding a distraction.' He set her down on a low tree root carefully, watching as she pressed a hand lightly to her head.

'Oh. What was-'

A tiny little back corner of InuYasha's mind was shaking it's head sadly, it knew he'd almost never be able to watch this girl speak again sanely.

But he was ignoring it.

Quite soundly, actually, instead he was opting for clambering down onto his knees so he could kiss her better, one hand tracking down her cheek.

He pulled back only ever so slightly. 'Don't worry about it.' He said huskily.

'Worry about what?' She said a little dreamily, then kissed him again, wrapping her arms lightly around his neck.

She could feel his lips turn upward into a smile, but he said nothing, lost, completely adrift.

However, the sole, tiny, minuscule part of his brain that had retained its sanity and was frowning upon all of this, was playing a memory back to him, of a young boy talking to his cat.

_'I wonder when InuYasha will just get off his high horse and tell-'_

He pulled back slightly, turning once again bright red. 'Kagome?'

'Yes?' She herself was red, but her eyes were sparkling.

He wanted those lips again, yet he could not help but flounder helplessly for a moment. 'I', he could feel his hands shaking slightly, but something similar to a sense of what's right was pushing him, so he forced his next words come out in a rush. 'I, love you.'

She turned scarlet as he kissed her, hiding his burning eyes slightly, and she was clearly in shock, she hadn't been expecting that.

She pulled back slightly, her eyes wide. 'A-are you sure?'

He turned a colour similar to his haori, 'I'm s-sure.'

She looked away shyly, again biting her lip, InuYasha had to clench his jaw tightly to stop himself.

'I, um, I love you too.'

He laughed slightly, out of relief more than anything, and kissed her again, like the floodgates had opened.

'I love you,' he was repeating intermittently memorizing the shape of her lips, learning fast about how she wanted to be kissed, and figuring out other ways to make her shiver. 'I love you,'

And she was repeating those same words back, haltingly, hesitantly at first, but growing in confidence; 'I love you.'

Her fingers traced the side of his face down to his jawline, and he abruptly stood, torn.

She gazed at him for a moment in surprise. 'What's wrong?' She questioned, standing also, then wobbled slightly, he caught her by the tops of her arms before she had the chance to fall, however he turned his face away, gritting his teeth.

'I'm sorry, did I do something you didn't, like?'

'No,' he said. 'That's not it at all.' His grip on her was slightly tighter than necessary.

'Well then, what is it?'

He returned his gaze to her, she could feel all the muscles in his hands tensing, he seemed to be holding his breath.

But the look he gave her was one that smoldered with its intensity, the longing clear as day behind his honey-golden eyes, before he looked away again, releasing her and crossing his arms, taking a few steps and turning away.

'It's just,' he hesitated, turning red, before frowning.

'Nothing.'

'Did I do something wrong?'

'No, no,'

'What is it then?' Kagome said, using pushing hair out of her shining face as an excuse to hide it, and leaning against the tree next to her.

'I'm not,' he swallowed, 'upset.' He said in a tone that could have been easily mistaken for said emotion. 'It's just, I couldn't, I, shouldn't,' He looked up at her, 'I'm not gonna,' he turned a deeper shade of red, looking away. 'I'm not gonna risk anything before, its time.' He forced out.

'Before-?; Kagome was shocked at his meaning, turning her fourth shade of red for the evening, but after the momentary speechlessness she managed; 'I, understand.' She glanced down to find that her fingers were shaking slightly, and she looked back up at him. 'I love you.' She said seriously, smiling shyly.

He looked back at her, still red. 'I, love you.'

She smiled at him, and he had to turn away again, crossing his arms, huffing slightly.

'We should get back.' He turned and said to the tree next to her.

She nodded, thankfully, and he strode over to her, slipping under her free arm. 'Are you alright to walk?'

'I think so.' She said, 'If you help me.'

Awkwardly he helped her back over to the stream, and leapt them both across it, the journey back took a little longer than the initial one.

* * *

***yawns hugely*, yup, you love me, long chapter and everything :).**

**Thanks for the birthday reviews! I feel so special :3 . **

**Okay, I just wanna remind you guys a little (well, those of you who've been reading other fics) that InuYasha is old fashioned (even for the Sengoku Jidai, which is saying something), and also a simpleton (as described in many instances throughout the manga and anime, as well as (probably) by Rumiko Takahashi-sensei herself), so to those of you who read on how things get lemony in the first (say, thousand word?) chapter, is a little unrealistic, (which bugs me greatly) I say welcome to (my interpretation, at least, of) InuYasha. The Sengoku Jidai is where couples who are head over heels for each other and fiancées barely touch each other, except to say "I love you", so kissing (let alone making out) before saying it? Inu-chan's a little out of his depth, and we all know about his sense of justice (mainly what's right and wrong in his books), and how strongly opposed he is to things that aren't right with him.**

**Anyway, sorry about my rant, I just wanted to get that off my chest (it's been bugging me for aaageesss).**

**I'm sooo sleepy atm, though! I haven't been getting much sleep lately, university's a pain in the butt, there are sooo many assignments due! I feel like Konata-chan from Lucky Star, I just wanna play, not work!**

**Again, thanks for all the birthday reviews!**

**xx,**

**InuKag**


	14. Old Maid

They entered the campsite again, to see Sango and Miroku looking rushed, both were obviously out of breath, but Miroku was innocently holding a pack of playing cards in one hand, obviously mid-shuffle.

'Well that took a while,' Shippou said, looking up from his videogame, a lollipop sticking out of his mouth comically. 'What took you so long?'

'Nothing.' InuYasha said shortly, the two both going red.

He dropped her, and she staggered over to where her bag was sitting and started sifting through it, as he planted a passing fist onto Shippou's head. 'Don't ask stupid questions.'

Shippou clutched at it, complaining loudly. 'Hey! What was that for? I was only starting to get worried about you guys!'

'InuYasha,' Kagome said warningly, yet distractedly.

Sango raised an eyebrow at Miroku, and Kagome looked at the two. 'What were you two going to play?'

Sango looked thrown.

'Old maid.' Miroku clearly made up off the cloth.

'May I join in?'

'Sure.' Sango said, hiding a giggle, as Miroku started dealing the cards, and InuYasha sat opposite them to the fire, resting the Tetsusaiga against his shoulder, gazing fixedly into the flames.

Sango shuffled a little closer to Kagome, however. 'What did he want to show you?' She asked in a quiet undertone, but Kagome still saw InuYasha's ears flick slightly, and he pulled a pained face, obviously attempting to not go any redder, and failing.

'Oh, um,' Kagome started. 'There were, fireflies up river. It was, quite, beautiful.' She found herself pulling the same face as InuYasha, and tried to hide it.

Sango raised her eyebrows slightly. 'Oh? It was, was it?'

'Uh, yeah.'

'I never thought InuYasha was into views.' Sango implied even more quietly.

Kagome shrugged without saying anything, fanning her cards out in front of her in an attempt to hide.

Sango grinned evilly. 'Make sure I'm there at your wedding.' She whispered.

Kagome could not stop herself this time, despite her efforts, colour flooded to her cheeks, and she looked down at her cards, to discover with some dismay that she had the joker.

* * *

All of a sudden, two weeks had passed, and InuYasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kirara found themselves wandering the countryside, searching once again for traces of a certain, much-loved spider.

With little to nothing to go by, Naraku clearly not wishing to be found in whatever he was doing, the group found themselves wandering into new territory, into places that they had not been before, as was clearly seen in their upcoming discovery.

'... and the foreboding presence I feel will be immanent should I not provide you with the excorsim required.' Miroku was saying dramatically to the guards of the clearly richest place in the village they had come across.

Sango, Kagome, and Kirara were hovering in the background, looking on exasperatedly, however still obviously keen for a hot meal and a roof over their heads.

Shippou had gone exploring, and could be just seen on the main square of the fairly modest village playing with some of the local children, and InuYasha had just seemingly vanished into thin air, last seen with a serious look on his face and an 'I'll be right back' thrown over his shoulder.

'You'll have to bring that up with Natsumi-sama,' one of the guards said, shrugging and shaking his head. 'She said that Hideaki-san would deal with anything like that.'

'I still say we shouldn't trust someone like Hideaki,' the other guard said, turning to the first. 'He's not,' he fumbled around for the right word, 'natural.'

'You're just being predjudice.' Replied the first, without even looking at him.

'Just because he saved your life,' said the second, 'so take a good look at yourself. I just see things how they are.'

'Excuse me, gentlemen,' Miroku interjected, raising one hand, 'but who is this Hideaki?'

'You haven't heard of him?' The first guard said.

'You should go and have a look for yourself,' said the second, 'you could talk to him about this foreboading cloud you were talkin' about earlier.'

'I see.' Miroku replied. 'Where might I find him?'

'Last I saw he was down by the river, but you should go and see Natsumi-sama first.' Said the second guard. 'She doesn't like it when people sneak up on Hideaki.'

'That's true.' The first guard said, shuddering slightly. 'We all try to stay on her good side as much as possible. She's on the outskirts of the village,' he pointed generally behind them, through the square, 'down by the acorn trees.'

'Thank you for your assistance.' Miroku said, bowing slightly, then turning on his heel, obviously ignoring the agrument that struck back up between the guards, and approached the girls.

'Are you going to go see this woman?' Sango asked. 'She sounds fairly intimidating.'

'Are you kidding?' Miroku said. 'I spend most of my time around a hot-headed, stubborn person with violent tendancies and an incredibly volatile temper anyway, how bad could she be?' He shrugged off.

Suddenly a rather spectacular egg appeared mysteriously on the side of Miroku's head, and tears streamed down his cheeks. 'I meant InuYasha, you know. I could never insult you, my dearest Sango.'

Sango crossed her arms and started frogmarching Kagome towards the square behind them.

Miroku hurried along in their wake, as Sango continued to fume.

* * *

**Sorry, short(ish) chapter, and we're jumping a little, but this is relevant to the whole thing.**

**Well, they sort of all are, but this one more than most, and that's all I'll tell you! :P**

**Anyway, I've got a bone to pick with some of my reviewers, specifically the ones who do not either sign in, or if they do not have one simply make up a name to put in the named sign box thing on the review section, so all I get is "guest", then insult me or my stories! If they did so, then I could reply and figure out what their issue is, and see if I can fix it, or explain to them how they misinterpreted.  
**

**For example, two days ago, I received a review from "guest" on the first chapter of I'm With You, sarcastically claiming how I had "done well" at stealing the scene from the classic movie Titanic. As all of my other readers would know, I had loosely based the first half of that scene from the stories namesake, I'm With You by Avril Lavigne. The rest was mine. Well, apart from the characters, but we have disclaimers for that.**

**Anyway, at the very least, I ask reviewers who have problems with my stories, or just wish to simply swear at me to at the very least make up some sort of identification, so that I might be able to respond.**

**/rant**

**On that note though, please review! Comments and responses are very important to me!**

**xx, **

**InuKag.**


	15. Takara-chan and Sho

They rounded the corner of one of the buildings into the square, to see Shippou standing solidly between a small group of children, and a young girl who had lavender coloured hair, and was crying bitterly.

'It's not fair you keep making her the bad guy!' Shippou was saying. 'Why can't Ta-chan ever be on the good side?'

'Because she's perfect for the role!' One of the boys shouted back, striding forward a little. 'Unless you want to be the main bad guy?'

'I don't mind.' Shippou said. 'But I just don't think it's fair to always make her it! She's not bad!'

As Miroku, Sango and Kagome approached, a slightly taller boy then the rest of them strode over, scattering the younger children in his path.

'Who are you?' Shippou asked as the boy approached, but his question was answered as Ta-chan looked up at the startled responses of the children, revealing deep sky-blue eyes.

'Nii-san!' She exclaimed, dashing around Shippou to the boy, throwing her arms around the boy, and burying her face in his chest. 'They won't let me be the good guy!' She cried.

'Is this true?' The boy said, patting the girl on the head, but his gaze levelling on Shippou, revealing precisely the same colour eyes as his sister.

'Not me,' Shippou said, shaking his head, obviously slightly intimidated by the boy, 'I voulenteered to take her place.'

'So this, boy was standing up for you, Takara?' He hesitated slightly, before labelling Shippou as a boy, frowning.

'Yes,' she replied. 'He was the nicest boy to me.'

Shippou scuffed his foot in the dust, looking embarrased.

By this point, Miroku, Sango and Kagome were standing behind Shippou, Kagome had crouched, and was looking longingly at Takara.

'So who are you people?' The boy said suspiciously. 'We're not supposed to talk to strangers. Strangers don't like us.' His tone was clearly that of experience.

'Well, that's Shippou,' Takara started, pointing at the fox demon. 'He said he was passing through, but I think he said he was going to stay the night?'

Shippou nodded, then gestured at each of his friends behind him. 'That's Miroku, Sango, and Kagome, my friends.' He turned and looked at them. 'This is,'

'Ta-chan.' The girl said, finally releasing her brother, and examining her bare feet in the dust, turning to face them.

'And I don't know who you are.' Shippou said to the boy.

'I'm called Sho.'

'It means to fly!' Takara said excitedly, her blue eyes sparkling, before returning to the ground shyly. 'And mine means "treasure". Because papa said I was a treasure.'

'Ta-chan?' Kagome said, her fingers itching, 'could I please give you a hug?'

Sho looked at her. 'What for?'

'She is so, cute!' Little stars had appeared in Kagome's eyes, and Sango was smiling broadly.

'Only if you want to, Takara.' Sho said, looking at the girl.

Ta-chan laughed quietly, then slowly stepped over to Kagome, who picked her up swiftly, rubbing her cheek against the girls.

'How can you live, being this cute?' Kagome asked excitedly, and kissed the girl's cheek. 'There's got to be a limit here, or something, because I think you've broken it!'

Ta-chan laughed, wriggling slightly. 'She hugs just like Papa!' She said, looking at Sho. 'Do you want a hug too?' She asked the boy, but then looked around at Kagome, 'Only if you want to, Onee-san.'

'No.' Sho said shortly. 'That's enough now, or Mother will be mad at you.' He addressed Kagome. 'Put her down, please.'

Kagome gently lowered the girl to the ground, and almost squealed.

'Sorry about that,' she said instead.

Ta-chan looked at Shippou. 'So you're a fox demon? I'll bet mama would love to meet you!'

Sho sighed. 'Father's the protector of the village, sort of. Mother's the one who keeps the villagers in line.' He turned and looked over his shoulder at the remainder of the children. 'You'd better hope I don't tell Natsumi-sama about this!' He shot, and they fled.

'Natsumi-sama is your mother?'

'Uh huh!' Ta-chan said, nodding, taking her brother's hand. 'She really likes meeting nice demons, she says there isn't many left. All the other ones are bad, she said.'

'That's a very good lesson from your mother.' Sango said seriously.

'We're actually on our way to see your mother,' Miroku said. 'Maybe you would come with us?'

'Sure!' Takara said brightly, tugging on her brother's hand.

'Fine.' Sho said, frowning, crossing his arms. 'Let's go.'

Ta-chan just seized the corner of his shirt, and followed along like a duckling as he started walking.

It wasn't ten minutes later that they discovered themselves staring at a fairly modest, stout hut, that seemed to be slightly worse for wear, yet definately cosy.

'Mama said it was a fortress for a while there, when she had just started living with Papa.' Ta-chan explained.

'Would it seem prudent to ask,' Miroku leant forward and addressed the boy who was leading the way. 'But is your father a demon?'

'Yes, yes it would.' Sho said, turning away from the monk. 'You'd better not be tricking us to show you where he lives, Father is a good man who's done nothing to hurt anyone.'

'He even saved the village, three whole times!' Ta-chan said excitedly.

'Three?' Miroku said impressedly. 'He must be very strong.'

'He is, Papa's the best in the world!' Ta-chan was clearly very proud of her father. 'Don't you think so, Nii-san?'

'He's pretty strong,' Sho admitted, 'but he's definately not the strongest. There are lots of demons out there who are stronger than he is.'

Takara pouted. 'You're so mean to him.'

* * *

**Hey guys, PrincexShido pointed out to me that there was a problem with this chapter, so I'm re-uploading, and re-doing! Just a quick reminder that this is just before Ta-chan, Sho, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, Shippou and Kirara meet Natsumi and Hideaki, but just after the gang (minus InuYasha) meet Ta-chan and Sho. **

**I'm not really sure how that problem happened, I always proof-read before I publish! Maybe I clicked the wrong "select which document to make your chapter" thingy. Oh well, am I allowed to have blonde moments if I'm a brunette? Or is that just insulting blonde people?**

**Anyway, I hope that this makes more sense to everyone.**


	16. Hideaki

Sho said nothing as the group approached the house.

'Mother?' He called. 'There's some strangers who want to talk to you.'

The hanging door split open, to reveal a very solid-looking woman, her black hair pulled back, and had one hand on her hip. 'What do you folks want? I keep tellin' you, my husband wishes no one any harm.'

Miroku raised his hands apologetically. 'We know that, your son has made it perfectly clear. Can I assume that you are Natsumi-san?'

'That's me. I'm the one who protects Hideaki from the village. So what do you want?'

'We were just curious as to how this village was being protected. One of the guards mentened this "Hideaki" in high respect.'

'As he should.' Natsumi said shortly, then her face softened as she looked at her children. 'Ta-chan? What are you doing here as well?'

'I brought this fox demon to show you,' Ta-chan said, releasing her brother and taking a few steps backward to stand next to Shippou. 'You said how some demons are nice, well, I found one!'

Natsumi smiled. 'See, Sho? I told you.' Then her face resumed what must have been its usual hardness as she looked at the three who had been bringing up the rear. 'I suppose I should invite you in for tea.' She said guardedly.

'Thank you.' Kagome said honestly.

'Tea would be lovely,' Miroku added, as they followed the woman back into the surprisingly well-lit hut.

'So what are you guys so curious for?' Natsumi asked as she retrieved a still steaming pot from above the fire, while the others sat down.

'Well,' Sango started awkwardly.

'Papa's coming!' Ta-chan said excitedly, standing, and pushing aside the hanging door and disappearing outside.

'I didn't hear anything,' Shippou said, looking at the door, but Sho crossed his arms.

'That's because Takara can read people's minds. She "heard" him coming.' Sho said. 'Takara and I aren't exactly human.'

'That's perfectly fine.' Kagome said serenely, gazing at the boy.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Natsumi's went wide.

Outside, footsteps crunched their way up to the door, and none other than InuYasha poked his head inside, cutting off the sentance he was saying.

'... but I don't understand how you can-' He looked at the others surprisedly. 'What are you guys doing here?'

Kagome stood. 'I could ask you the same question.' She replied lightly as he stepped inside, clearing the way for a man who was slightly shorter than him, with a light grey coloured hair and light, baby blue eyes, Ta-chan was in his arms, cradled in a similar way that Kagome had held the girl earlier.

'Hideaki,' Natsumi said. 'Who's this?' She eyed InuYasha up smoothly, frowning, her tone softening as she addressed the hanyou. 'Are you a half-demon?'

'Just like this idiot here.' He nodded at the man, not looking any less surely, but his eyes were proud.

'Natsumi,' Hideaki said in a timid voice. 'This is InuYasha. I met him down by the riverbed.'

'And this is what you wanted to show me?' InuYasha said, looking around at his family.

'Yes.' Hideaki said simply, approaching his wife. 'I just wanted to show you how even people like us can be happy.'

Sho stood suddenly, and approached InuYasha, eyeing him up.

'So you're a half demon like Father?' He did not wait for a response. 'Well, I'm Sho. I'm a quarter demon. And if you don't like it, then who gives a toss about what you think.'

InuYasha knelt down in front of the boy to be at his eye level. 'And that's exactly the right attitude to have.' He said, grinning a little, mussing his hair. 'You could teach your father a thing or two.'

Sho grinned back, obviously liking this person.

Kagome looked around at Takara, who was being set down by her father. 'So you're a quarter demon too?'

The girl looked down shyly, and Sho stomped over to the priestess, as InuYasha stood, frowning slightly. 'You got a problem with that?'

'No, not at all.' Kagome said, then shifted her gaze from the boy to his sister. 'That's what it was! It just wasn't humanly possible to be this cute!'

Ta-chan hurried over to her, and Kagome threw her arms around the girl, picking her up.

'I know, right?' Hideaki said, giving Kagome the thumbs-up. 'That's what I've been saying! Oh, I'm sorry,' he looked away shyly, but Natsumi beat him across the back.

'What are you apologising for?' She asked him. 'I keep telling you to show some backbone.'

Miroku, however had sidled over to a far-away-eyed InuYasha. 'You're looking a little starry there, care to share your thoughts?' The monk asked, snapping InuYasha out of his slight trance, and he looked away, his cheeks dusting pink.

'It's nothing.'

'Are you sure? You know, I was thinking of little people with dog ears running around Kaede's.-'

InuYasha shot him a look that would have frozen water. 'I said, it's nothing. Shut up and leave me alone.'

'You'd better not be picking on this guy,' Sho said, suddenly appearing next to Miroku and tugging on his sleeve. 'He's just like us. I won't be happy if he's getting picked on.' Sho threatened.

'Of course,' Miroku said, bowing respectfully, glancing out of the corner of his eye slyly at InuYasha. 'I would never dream of picking on him.'

'That's better.' Sho said, crossing his arms.

'Ta-chan, why don't you and Sho-kun go over to Seiichi-san's and see if they have room for our friends here for the night.' Hideaki suggested.

'But we just came from there.' Sho complained. 'I saw these guys talking to his guards earlier.'

Miroku brightened considerably.

'Do as your father says, Sho,' his mother said warningly, and Sho visibly shrank. 'We don't have enough room for them. Seiichi will have plenty, and if he doesn't treat you graciously, tell him I'll be around there later with _words_.' These words seemed to teem with more danger than actual violence.

'Yes, mother.' He agreed. 'Can I go too? I want to keep an eye on this one.' He gestured up at Miroku, who pulled a mortally wounded face.

'Of course.' Natsumi said.

* * *

**So I did sort of say that this chapter might be a little late, but I'm procrastinating, so what are you going to do. **

**I can't believe we're half-way through November already, can you believe that Christmas (or whatever you guys follow) is next month? This year has gone past so quickly, I feel sort of nostalgic about it. **

**Also, along the lines of seasonal holidays, the summer/winter solstace (depending on what hemisphere you live in) is also coming on the 21st? Haha, and the world's supposedly ending as well on the same day. I'm curious, how many of you think that the world will end, and who will be partying with my on the 20th?**

**Oh, reviews, thanks to CityOfFallenAshes, I thought so too. :3**

**Anyway, back onto this chapter. This was originally going to be my sort of epilogue story-arc, with the climactic scene being the waterfall, and the concluding fireflies, but I sat on it for a few days going "well, it's bad, but I can't think of anything better," and then I did. So this story's basically going to triple in length, and I hope you enjoy what I have planned for the ending!**

**Lastly, I've figured out exactly what's happening all the way to the end, and I'm curious. There's a couple of loose strings that I kind of accidentally left just quickly tucked in, and I'm wondering, despite the story finishing and everything else is finished, I can still build on it and make a final story arc that, though it won't be as climactic, (we'll see, I haven't really nutted it out yet,) did you guys want me to write it? **

**It would just be an extended epilogue arc, sort of (again, not nutted out, so I don't know how big it could be,) but it could be good, unless you guys think I'd just be dragging it out?**

**I'm not really sure, so if you want me write it, please review with your opinion! **

**Oh, and by the way, the ending is fantastic, I'm pretty sure it's going to be waaaayyyyyy better than I'm With You! ( *\^u^/* )**

**So review! I want to know!**

**xx**

**InuKag**


	17. Good Advice

'Well, InuYasha,' Miroku said brightly over their meal, 'it looks like we've made some new friends.'

Sho had obviously taken an immediate liking to InuYasha, and as such, was sitting directly next to him, munching on his rice with a serious look on his face.

'And perhaps have you set a new goal in life?' Miroku said in an undertone, nudging InuYasha with his elbow.

'Shut the hell up, Miroku!'

'Hey, monk,' Sho said without looking up, 'you're being noisy again.'

Miroku still wasn't sure to be slightly afraid of the boy or not, it was obvious how he had all, well, most of the other children running scared.

'Nii-san, you're so funny.' Ta-chan said, attempting to peer around Kagome, who (as well as Sango) were fawning over her again, as the girl had gotten some rice on her face.

Sho clearly chose to ignore that.

'So, Ta-chan?' Kagome asked the girl, 'Sho said you're a mind-reader?'

'Well, I'm not very good.' She said, scratching the side of her face shyly.

'What am I thinking right now?' Sango asked curiously.

Ta-chan turned and looked at her seriously, her deep blue eyes almost piercing. 'Are you sure you want me to answer?'

Sango tilted her head slightly. 'Go for it, I'm curious to hear.'

'Well, as far as I can tell, your main thought is about how amazing it is that Papa's actually a half demon, just like that InuYasha guy over there, and that Papa met Mama and had me and Nii-san. You're also thinking about your own brother, who you haven't seen in the longest time, and also about that monk?' She nodded over at Miroku, who was obviously teasing InuYasha about something or another, and it seemed a dark cloud had fallen over Sho's face. 'You're sad about your brother, but you're happy about that monk? I don't really understand how someone can be both happy and sad at the same time.' Takara turned her blue eyes back to Sango. 'You're also in love with him.' This was a statement, not open to discussion. 'Even though he likes touching people? I don't really understand that part either. You're also awfully worried about a scary looking curse on his hand? Not the touching people curse, this one's serious, he might even get sucked up by it! You're scared about that, and worried that you won't get a scary-looking guy, because he's the cure? And that's all the main things that you're thinking about.' Takara concluded.

Both Sango and Kagome's mouths had fallen open, as Ta-chan looked between them innocently.

'Would you like me to do you next?' She asked Kagome, tugging on her sleeve.

'Uh, sure.'

'Well, you're happy that you've found somewhere that a half demon like Papa has found someone like Mama, and made a family. You're also really happy that that InuYasha guy is happy about how Papa is standing on his own two feet, but I've always thought he's always too hunched over. But that InuYasha guy is actually proud that someone like himself has friends that would protect him in the village, as well as how Papa made a family. He also likes watching you talk?' Ta-chan shrugged. 'I don't understand why. Anyway, you're also happy that Mama is such a strong woman, and can watch out for Papa too. You're also worried about some pink shards of something, and that same scary-looking guy? I've never seen him before. You're also worried about a well, and something called "highschool", and also you're really badly in love with that InuYasha. Also you keep thinking about fireflies?' Takara squinted at Kagome, who turned red. 'Oh,' Ta-chan turned pink herself. 'Never mind. But that's what you're thinking about.'

'That's, quite an impressive power.' Sango said, glancing at Kagome, who appeared to be rendered speechless.

'I'm not that good,' Ta-chan replied. 'Papa is better, he's teaching me how to control it.'

Sango and Kagome exchanged a look, but said nothing.

'Sango-chan?' Ta-chan said. 'Are you really going to marry that monk?'

Sango very nearly sighed exasperatedly. 'Well, yes.'

'Mama said that marriage is where you accept the person. But you don't seem to accept Miroku very much.'

'Some of the things he does are not acceptable though.'

'Mama also said you have love them, warts and all.'

'I suppose.' Sango grew somber at that.

'And Kagome-chan?'

'Yes?'

'Are you going to marry InuYasha?'

'Well,' Kagome looked away, obviously startled by the little girl's direct questions. 'I don't know.'

'But you want to, don't you?'

'I,' Kagome turned red. 'You already know the answer, don't you?'

Sango raised her eyebrows at the girl, however.

'Yeah, I can. Mama says it's all about what you do at the end of the day.'

'What do you mean?'

'You know, when everything's finished, and the adventure's over. It's what you do then that's just as important.'

Kagome nodded.

'Mama says that when I grow up, I'm going to want to get married.' Ta-chan said sadly. 'I don't think I want to, boys are so icky and gross! Especially the ones who live in the village. They're mean to me, sometimes.'

Having clearly entered the conversation partway through Ta-chan's last statement, one monk couldn't help but put in his two cents. 'Icky and gross get more interesting as you get older.'

Ta-chan looked confused, turning her piercing gaze onto Miroku, but suddenly her face was covered by two sets of female hands.

'What? I can't see! I want to know what he means!'

'Never mind,' Sango said.

Miroku shrugged, wiggled his eyebrows at Sango, then turned back towards prodding InuYasha.

The next morning, the group left, with many promises to return soon, and a very long hug from both Kagome and Sango were given to Takara, and Sho even managed to get caught by Kagome for one as well.

* * *

**Oh, Miroku, you perv. **

**So I think I will write the epilogue story, it should be pretty interesting to write, if nothing else. **

**Opinions are always welcome, and thank you for the ones so far.**

**Also, just a heads up, some of the chapters coming up are a little on the short side... sorry about that, I might do a little re-writing in the next couple of days if I have the chance to extend them.**

**So please review! :3**


	18. Hot Springs

InuYasha was seated quietly in front of the campfire in a distinctly sour mood, and tossed tossing another twig onto the sick-looking beginnings of a fire in the late afternoon light.

Miroku was seated next to him looking twitchy, his arms folded, and was glancing back behind him, like a boy staring longingly at a large jar full to the brim of his favorite candy, that had a clear as daylight "DO NOT TOUCH" sign on it.

Another week had passed surprisingly quietly since the events with Hideaki and his family, and it was showing clearly on InuYasha's face, which had the look of a boy trapped inside on a cold and rainy day.

Miroku suddenly jumped to his feet, and started pacing, clearly tempted by the candy jar, yet looking indecisive over the whole situation.

Every time he looked around to this hidden jar, a look of fear crossed his face, as he knew he would not only be beaten possibly to death by the owners of these sweets, but also by the sour-faced hanyou seated next to him.

'If you go, you know what'll happen to you, right?' InuYasha asked him, not even bothering to look around.

Miroku started slightly, but mostly flinched, he hadn't realized that InuYasha had noticed his pacing, his hands stuffed in his sleeves.

'Of course,' Miroku said, 'however I'm concerned for the girls safety. Should they really be bathing in such an environment? We don't know how safe those hot springs really are.'

'There's nothing wrong with that place and you know it. If there was an issue, Kagome and Sango would just beat them to death. You of all people should know this by now.' InuYasha shrugged, barely sparing a glance towards the steamy springs that short walk upstream of the bubbling creek that ran past them.

InuYasha, on the other hand, was simply enjoying the warm, sweet scents that the water was carrying with it, not that he would let it show.

'I don't like what you're implying of me, InuYasha.' Miroku looked over his shoulder once more, then turned back to InuYasha. waving his hands half-apologetically, then shrugged. 'I'm just going to check to see if they're alright.' he said quickly before hurrying off out of sight into the trees.

InuYasha just shook his head, and returned his attention to the fire, before growing still, his attention focused on the incoming scent, one that he had hoped would just pass by harmlessly, but did not, and InuYasha stood, double checking the scent, before he sighed, face palmed, and followed Miroku into the trees.

* * *

The sun was just about to set over the mountain, and had bathed everything in an almost golden glow as it gave it's final goodbye to the day.

The silence was almost comforting, as the last of the birds had just settled for the evening, in the peaceful late afternoon, however the serenity was lost upon a certain wolf demon.

His mind was entirely upon other matters, as he raced top speed through the forest, when he came across a familiar scent, causing him to alter directions almost without conscious thought.

As he followed the scent, he picked up others, and a smirk crossed his face as he found the scent of a certain hanyou that was a short distance away from the scent he was following.

He hurried along, noticing the strong scent of steamy water, which obviously meant hot springs, and it wasn't until he found himself at the scene that he found himself at a crossroads.

And it was at this point that he found himself hiding behind a tree staring at the base of his open palms, as the steam wafted around him in seductive spirals, where he was torn between peeking and not.

He was vaguely aware of that Sango girl and the fox tyke being in there as well, however he dismissed them as unimportant.

He could hear also the splashing of water, and it sent both a shiver down his spine and his imagination running wild, but then he heard an almost soundless _crunch_, that of shifting of weight, coming from the ground near to him, and he started slightly, looking around, to see a person, that monk, to be exact, crouching low on the ground, and peering through the shrubbery with a goofy grin on his face, and it turned Kouga's stomach to think that the monk would be peeking at his Kagome.

This irritated the wolf demon, causing his hands to ball into fists, but he was still far too distracted over his current dilemma to do anything actually about it.

Kouga was finding himself at an impasse, at whether he should peek at the bathing girl, or not.

His fairly sound, if not slightly flawed, logic was that if she was going to leave the dog-boy to be with him anyway, and they were going to wind up together anyway, then what was the harm?

Of course, she would be initially embarrassed, but it was only previews as to what was to come, right?

However, he was still torn, of whether he should stick to the strict guidelines of the relationship boundaries.

Unbeknownst to him, a certain half demon was approaching him through the trees, in clear sight of, yet unnoticed by the girls, his face stormy, and was cracking his knuckles menacingly.

'Just what the hell do you two think you're doing?' He asked in a deadly voice, raising equally large lumps on the two peeping toms, scaring them both out of their skins with startled yelps, and unfortunately flinging them both directly into the firing range of the two agitated and embarrassed girls, who were locked, loaded, and ready to fire the small artillery of rocks around them.

* * *

**I did have a good laugh writing this, even though it was a little on the short side. **

**Heh, Kouga's "dilemma" did make me chuckle, just imagining his confused, yet hopeful face as his conflicted thoughts push boundaries, then InuYasha scaring the crap out of him.**

**And we all know the destructive capabilities of those two girls (plus Shippou, but not so sure how much throwing, versus how much laughing he would do...). You'll have to find out till next chapter whether any of them actually survived ;P**

**Please review! I want to hear from you!**

**Oh, and by the way, I'm writing the last story arc (that I was talking about earlier,) and it's getting a bit exciting :D, I'm having fun writing it, like I did with all of this story, so I hope you all enjoy reading what I write!**


	19. Punching A Jackass

A twig snapped in the still sick-looking fire, and the encroaching darkness did not make it look any better.

Three guys were sitting around this fire nursing their war wounds, and the causes of these wounds were sitting decidedly away from them, looking away with their noses in the air.

InuYasha had gotten off relatively lightly, a single lump and a black eye for his trouble, however he was glaring witheringly at the wolf demon sitting next to him, who was looking both beaten and positively smitten.

Kouga had a fair few more lumps on his head than were strictly necessary, and was sporting a small mountain of bruises, looking thoroughly embarrassed, his eyes decidedly on the fire.

Miroku was looking thoroughly pleased with himself, despite his injuries being worse than the other two put together, his arms crossed satisfactorily.

'What did I tell you, Miroku.' InuYasha said darkly.

'I know, I know,' Miroku replied a little dreamily. 'But what a wonderful view that was.'

'And what the hell were _you_ doing, mangy wolf?' InuYasha shot at him, with a tone that would have made anyone else duck.

'I,' Kouga started, then looked away. 'I had no idea she was so spirited!' He clearly wasn't listening.

'Oh, those two are spirited, all right,' Miroku glanced over his shoulder at the girls warmly.

'You only just figured that out?' InuYasha asked icily. 'And I thought you had some tiny amount of intelligence.'

'Shut up!' Kouga replied.

InuYasha shrugged, his mood not improving.

'Aaanyway,' Kouga spoke up, rubbing his head, 'I was just in the area and I'd thought I'd drop in on you guys.-'

'"you guys" is not her name,' InuYasha interjected darkly, crossing his arms,

'Just to see if you'd heard anything.' Kouga continued over top of him. 'But it doesn't look like you have.'

'Bull crap. You just wanted to see Kagome.' InuYasha said.

'So what if I did?' Kouga turned to look at him. 'You know, one day Kagome's gonna get sick of being with you, and will turn to me with open arms.'

'You're the last person she'd turn to.' InuYasha shot back. 'Besides that, she wouldn't get sick of me.'

Miroku raised his eyebrows, not believing that the girls would want to miss a conversation like this.

'Of course she will.' Kouga said confidently, shrugging slightly. 'You're not man enough to tell her what you think of her, let alone being able to hold any sort of relationship with her, dog boy. You just watch, she'll drop you like a hot rock and come over to the real mans side.'

Kouga wasn't expecting it, so he barely noticed until it was too late the fist that InuYasha rammed into his face, or more specifically, his nose, with a _crack_ like a snapping branch.

'Sit.'

The hanyou slammed into the ground, which was as cold and unforgiving as ever, leaving Miroku to nearly wet himself laughing as Kagome, Sango and Shippou approached them.

Kouga had an astonished look upon his face, a droplet of blood running from his nose, as he was staring down at InuYasha, who was glaring back up at him, the spell holding him down momentarily, before Kouga turned his attention to the miko who sat down, looking peeved.

'Yo, Kagome. Why don't you leave him and come with me?' Kouga asked, wiping his bloody nose with the back of his hand. 'I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't look, I swear!' He tacked on as an afterthought.

Kagome ignored him completely, looking down at one flattened InuYasha. 'What do you think you were doing?'

'What the hell did it look like? I was punching a jackass.' The spell released him and he sat up, rubbing at a dirt smear on his face.

'You're not helping your argument, InuYasha,' Miroku said, still chuckling.

'Shut the hell up, Miroku.'

Miroku shrugged, grinning.

Kouga shuffled over to sit next to Kagome, and went to put his arm around her, but had to hurridly pull it out of the way before it was nearly sliced off by a sword.

'Don't. You. Fucking. Dare.'

'Whoa there, mutt face,' Kouga said, then shrugged. 'It's exactly like I was saying to you.' He looked around at Kagome, getting to his feet. 'Kagome? I love you. When you get sick of this runt, choose me. You'll always be my woman.'

InuYasha looked like he was going to explode.

'Kouga?' Kagome seemed to have found her voice, and InuYasha whipped around to look at her. 'I'm sorry, but none of those things you've just said are going to happen.'

Kouga looked like the floor had been taken out from under him, and InuYasha seemed to swell a little.

'I'm not your woman, nor will I ever be, because I'm not going to get sick of being here.'

Kouga looked like his world had ended, he turned on his heel and fled.

The rest of the remaining group simply stared at Kagome, who let out a great rushing breath, turning red, suddenly looking a lot less strong then what she had only just previously looked.

She stood, looking a little shaky. 'I'm going to, go for a walk.'

No one responded to her, but the slightly impressed air that wafted through the the group gave its acknowledgement.

She looked around at them for a moment, before turning and leaving, heading in the direction of the tight-lipped smile of the moon.

* * *

**Hey guys! So after a week and a half of writing (broken up by three days of painful writers block), I finished the end story, and I'm really proud of it!**

**And, now, I'm currently dying of boredom, I have no idea what to do with my life now TTnTT . **

**Don't you hate how sudden changes in weather can make you lethargic? It's been kind of hot, and I've been lounging because of it, and my to do list is piling up higher than the mountain of bruises on Miroku.**

**So, right now, I have no energy to do anything.**

**Thanks for the reviews, Calantha S and CityOfFallenAshes!, by the way.**

**And now, I'm going back to bed.**

**So, I'll leave you with words of Terry Pratchett; "Inside every sane person there's a madman struggling to get out," said the shopkeeper. "That's what I've always thought. No one goes mad quicker than a totally sane person."**

**Oh, and smile, it's nearly the end of the world :) (not to freak you out or anything :P)**


	20. Mangy Wolf

'I know you're there.' She said out to the tiny outcrop of rocks around her.

She had been sitting in the very nearly complete darkness, having found a tiny little clearing of boulders half-buried in the dirt, and was currently sitting on top of one of the lower, yet still shoulder-height rocks, tucking her knees under her chin in an effort to ward off the chill breeze.

In response to her statement, a person dropped out of one of the overhanging trees, stuffing his hands in his sleeves.

'What are you doing out here?' She asked.

'I could ask you the same thing.'

Kagome sighed, returning her gaze to a patch of grass in front of her.

'Don't tell me you're actually upset about that mangy wolf.' InuYasha said casually, sauntering over, where he leaped easily onto the boulder in a single step, and sitting next to her, but then his tone changed, as worry cracked it. 'Are you?'

'I'm not,' she said in a tone that not even clueless himself believed.

He looked at her. 'Is it because of what that bastard said? That he,' InuYasha looked like he was choking on something moderately disgusting.

'Well, sort of, it's just, it got me thinking.'

'What about?' InuYasha suddenly looked a little nervous, his hands uncrossing.

'He just, must feel terrible.' She admitted, looking away.

'So?'

'And I'm feeling bad because of it.'

InuYasha gazed at her for a second, then sighed, pulling a face of exasperation.

Kagome looked back around at him, frowning slightly. 'What was that-'

He kissed her, resting a hand against her cheek so she could not turn away.

She pulled back, looking surprised.

'Don't worry about it.' He said, still not letting her go. 'That wolf will be fine.' He pulled a pained expression. 'He'll get over it, then Ayame will sink her claws into him. And he'll be absolutely smitten all over again. So you're not allowed to worry about it, got it?'

Kagome still looked a little uncomfortable, her gaze fixing on a point on his shoulder, biting her lip.

'Anyway, I thought you said you loved _me_, not him.' InuYasha managed out, turning red, but not looking away.

Kagome turned a similar shade, then a darker one as she dragged her gaze back to meet his own. 'I love you, InuYasha.'

A pained smirk crossed his face as he rose to the challenge. 'I love you, Kagome.' _That'll teach you, Kouga you bastard._ 'So don't go worrying about wolf turd. That bastard can rot for all I care.'

Kagome suddenly looked exhaused. 'Just stop talking.' She said, kissing him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He softened immediately, already over his bout of irritation (and nerves), placing his other hand on her waist, and kissed her more deeply, feeling that tiny electric current that ran through wherever he touched her already.

She also was feeling this current, as she once again explored his naturally sharpened teeth, a tiny and almost unnoticble smile on her lips, but he could feel it, on these memorized and mesmerising lips.

Suddenly something tugged quite sharply on the edge of the two's senses, and they broke apart, staring at each other for the smallest part of a second, then looked around at the source of this tugging, being behind InuYasha, however he did not let go of her, his face growing dark like a thundercloud had passed overhead, yet she was almost forced to, as he wouldn't have been able to turn had she not, so she released his neck in favour of resting her palms against his chest.

'Haha,' came a familiar voice uncomfortably as he stepped out from amongst the trees, 'Looks like I'm the worst person to try to sneak up on you two.'

'You bet your ass you are. Get lost.' InuYasha said.

'What are you doing here?' Kagome asked him, ignoring the no,-what-are-you-doing! look she was sent.

'I was just,' Kouga started, 'I,'

'Just leave, Kouga.' InuYasha shot bluntly.

'But,-'

Kagome stood, freeing herself from InuYasha's hands, and walked over to Kouga.

'We can still be friends, okay?'

InuYasha stood behind her, his face clearly and explicitly showing his opinion on this idea, looking scarily reminicant of his brother.

'Okay.' Kouga nodded, then looked at InuYasha. 'I was wrong, hey?'

'Very. I'd say I won, but it wasn't really a competition.' He crossed his empty arms.

'Whoa, I definately had a chance there.' Kouga said, in an obvious attempt of his usual arrogance. 'Kagome,' he said, looking at her, 'if you _ever_ get sick of this guy, you know where I am.'

Kagome nodded, then turned away, back to where InuYasha was.

'Well, see ya around, then.' Kouga waved, then headed back towards the treeline.

InuYasha, knowing full well that the wolf demon was hesitating, and in plain sight, somehow through sheer willpower forced himself not to turn red, strode over to Kagome, who looked up at him, her face near on unreadable, taking her hands and kissing her as lightly as he could, trying desperately to ignore the electricity.

Because he had closed his eyes, InuYasha's nose told him that the wolf youkai had walked back into the treeline, then disappeared, running as per usual.

Kagome pulled back. 'That was cruel, InuYasha.'

'So?'

'Sit.-H-mph!'

Due to their proximity, it wasn't hard for InuYasha to knock her feet out from under her as he went down, and he wrapped a bracing arm around the back of her head to cushion both her fall and the crushing power of his cursed beads.

They landed in a pile, the power of the beads not disappointing in their incredible pull, and he ended up kissing her again, but this time it was only half-way intentional.

'And this is what it feels like to be sat.' InuYasha said, forcing his head up as the spell held him down.

Kagome got over her momentairy shock, blinked at him in surprise, then smiled, looking a little breathless. 'This doesn't seem so bad. Why do you complain so much about it?'

He could tell, however, that the spell was squeezing the breath from her lungs as it forced him down, and the second it was released, she took a long, almost gasping breath in.

'Well _now_ it doesn't seem so bad,' InuYasha did not get up immediately though, he paused to kiss her quickly first.

* * *

**Heh, I always like reading this scene. **

**Also, this explains why Kagome's upset after attempting to send Kouga away. **

**Please review!**

**- InuKag.**


	21. Sake

'See? It was worth it.' Miroku was saying as he looked over his bowl of rice.

'What did you convince them they had an infestation of again?' Sango asked him, setting down her own bowl.

Miroku pulled on his mysterious face, which was completely ruined by the grain of rice that was stuck to it. 'How dare you imply that I would mislead these poor people! There is an ominous cloud that hangs over this village, and it is my duty as a monk to aid these people in their time of need.'

'Rehearsed and spoken like a true saint, Miroku.' Sango raised an eyebrow at him.

Miroku paused, rubbing his chin. 'Saint Miroku, now that has a nice ring to it.'

'You aren't nearly nice enough to pull it off.' She said seriously.

The two were seated in an open aired room, with nearly finished meals spread out between them, Kirara was curled up next to Sango, who gave her an idle scratch, as Miroku poured himself another bowlful of sake.

The air that was coming in was surprisingly cold considering the warm morning, the wind was blowing straight down from the mountains, following the course of the tributary that was snow and ice runoff, that fed into a nearby lake.

'So where are Kagome and InuYasha?' Sango asked, picking up her bowl of rice again.

'Well, InuYasha's probably off sulking somewhere, considering the new moon.' Miroku nodded out at the moonless night. 'Kagome's probably with him.' He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Sango sighed. What Takara had said to her had definately given the demon slayer something to think about, and had brought to light a few things she herself hadn't noticed.

_Warts and all? Now there's a good way to put it._

'Sango, dearest?'

Sango snapped out of her trance, and looked up at the monk. 'What?'

'You seem to be troubled. Can I offer you some sake and a pair of ears?'

Sango hesitated.

'It'll warm you up.' Miroku offered.

'Sure,' she said, reaching for the spare sake bowl. 'And it's nothing, just something that Ta-chan said to me when we were visiting them.'

'Really? I was curious about that girl's mind reading powers, however between you and Kagome, I never got the chance for her to try on me.' Miroku said, shuffling around to sit next to her.

'With damn good reason.' Sango said under her breath.

'You wound me.' Miroku said half-heartedly, pouring her a drink. 'How good is she?'

'Brilliant. I asked her to tell me what I was thinking, as in, her father, however she told me about not only that, but Kohaku, and you, and some of my goals,' Sango chuckled, taking a sip of her sake.

'She sounds quite amazing.' Miroku said. 'I wouldn't mind letting her try on me.'

'Don't you dare.' Sango said without looking around. 'I'll stop you before you even get the chance.'

'What did she tell you about the me in your thoughts?' Miroku questioned straightforwardly.

Sango jumped slightly, and looked away, turning a little pink. 'She has a very good insight.' Sango then looked around at the monk, frowning a little. 'She even picked up on your Kanzaa. "Not the touching people curse, this one's serious."' She quoted, making her voice a little higher to imitate the girl.

'That's quite interesting.' Miroku said, glancing down at the curse in question. '"Touching peple curse", she makes it sound like I do something like that often.'

Sango gave him such a dry look it was surprising his sake didn't evaporate as he tried to take a drink.

'So that's what's troubling you? My Kanzaa?'

'Well, not just that,' Sango hid behind her bowl, taking another sip. 'But don't worry about it.'

'My dearest Sango, the worries that you bare are too heavy for one person to endure. So share the burdan, and have some more sake.' He said, topping up her bowl.

Sango was feeling the warmth spread across her cheeks and down her extremeties, and she chuckled. 'Ta-chan said that Naraku is the cure. I guess he is, in a way? It's strange to think of him like that.'

'You don't need to trouble yourself over something like that, Sango.'

Sango looked around at him, taking another drink. 'Huh. I suppose it is warts and all.'

'I'm not sure I know what you mean.' Miroku said, frowning a little at her.

'Don't worry about it.' Sango said, tilting slightly to rest her head on his shoulder.

'She even brought up how I hadn't seen Kohaku in "the longest time".' Sango said, hiding her face a little.

'Well, things are a little complicated with your brother.' Miroku said calmly, finishing his bowl and pouring some more.

'I know, it was just startling to hear her go straight to the matters that meant a lot to me. She's a very direct girl, that one.'

'Did she tell you anything else?'

'She gave me some advice, in fact. Some life lessons her mother had taught her.'

'Was this the icky and gross part?'

Sango laughed at that. 'Sort of.' She finished her drink, then returned her head to its resting place on Miroku's shoulder.

'She's a very remarkable girl, that one.'

'She said her father's even more powerful. I'd hate to meet her paternal grandparents.'

Miroku smiled. 'That would be a thought to hear, would it not?'

Sango laughed again, not quite feeling herself, but still reached for the bottle once again.

'My, Sango, you're not looking to drown in it, are you?'

'Of course not. I'm fine.' She said, shakily pouring herself another drink.

He gently rested his fingers on her hand, holding the bottle steady, a tiny smile on his lips, and she looked sharply up at him.

'Sango, my dear, maybe you should slow down.'

'Why do you keep calling me "dear" all the time?' She asked, rightening the container and drinking from the bowl in one somewhat smooth action.

'Because you are dear to me.' He said honestly, shrugging a little.

'I don't see why.' Sango said, setting the sake container down.

'Well, why not?'

'Because I'm impossible enough to be happy and sad at the same time.' She said moodily, taking a gulp of her sake.

'That's not necessairily a bad thing. It just shows your complexity, my dear.'

'There you go again, how about a new name?' She said grouchily, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Miroku raised his eyebrows at her. 'A new name? You would like to have a pet name?'

Sango looked away, turning slightly redder then she already was.

'Are you feeling insecure, Sango?' He said, peering around at her, smiling. 'I love you, Sango, my love. Does that make you feel better? I could say it again, if you like.'

Sango turned and stared at him, wide-eyed, but then they narrowed. 'I'll bet you say that to every girl you come across.'

'Nope,' Miroku corrected, 'you're the first.'

Sango frowned.

'It was surprisingly easy to say, I'm curious as to why people say it's so hard.'

'What?'

Miroku looked at her. 'You could say it, if you like. It's not hard, if you mean it.'

'But that just makes it harder!' She argued.

Miroku took the hand that was reaching for the sake bottle. 'Sango, I love you.' He said in a deadly serious voice, one that defied his relaxed face.

Sango turned bright red, and looked away. 'I love you.' She said quietly.

'See? Was that so hard?'

She gave the sake bottle a dry look. 'Yes, yes it was.'

Miroku shrugged, picking up and swishing the sake bottle, testing to see if there was any left.

'I love you.' She repeated to his shoulder, still red.

'It's a good thing you do, we're engaged, aren't we?'

Sango smiled at that, looking at him.

He just wrapped a hand around her waist, and poured her the last few drops of sake.

She set the bowl down and looked up at him, looking only slightly plastered, and getting that slightly starry eyed expression as she leant a little closer.

'Sango, we shouldn't.'

'Why not?' Sango loosend the front of her kimono slightly, watching as a wide grin and vacant expression that Miroku could not help spread across his face. 'We're engaged, aren't we?'

Miroku shook his head. 'Who am I to say no?' He said dreamily, and held up no defence as Sango kissed him, pushing him over against the wall behind him.

Of course, his hands went straight to a place lower then they strictly should be, and she hiked them up to the small of her back, a fruitless attempt.

'What do you think you're doing?' Sango asked, pulling back.

'What does it _feel_ like, Sango, my love?'

'I,' Sango started, but she swayed slightly, and her head slowly lowered foreward, until it rested against his neck, and she started snoring gently.

Miroku just raised his eyebrows at her, carefully tucking away this useful little tip for future reference.

* * *

**Meerrry Christmas! This is my slightly late christmas present to you all :3**

**So this one's entirely Miroku and Sango, and I did have a good laugh writing it (and it's pretty long, too!)**

**Anyway, this is my next jump, but this is a cute little section around four chapters long that I loved writing, even though it's not particularly exciting action-wise (just a warning!).**

**So Merry Christmas, Happy New Years and all of that, because I love my readers very much! (but not in a creepy way.)**

**Please review, as a christmas present to me!**


	22. Important Words

A little earlier that evening, when the day was still warm and the sun was still up, InuYasha was walking through the nearby trees to the tiny village they had come across, keeping an eye on the setting sun in distaste.

Kagome was next to him, and they walked along in silence, hand in hand.

'Can I ask you a question?' Kagome finally asked hestitantly.

'What?' He said a little shortly.

'You don't have to answer, if you don't want to.'

'What's the damn question?'

She looked around at him, examining his face. 'Does it hurt?'

'What, turning into a human?' He shook his head disgustedly. 'No.'

'What does it feel like?'

'It's annoying.' He looked down at his free hand, as if half expecting some manifestation of his demonic powers to surface in their defiance. 'I get all heavy, and I cant move as far, or as fast.'

'That's probably because you as a human isn't nearly as strong as you as a hanyou.'

'Thank you, for stating the obvious.' He said dryly, glancing sideways at her.

Kagome raised her eyebrows in a clear well-excuuuse-me expression.

'But no, the transformation itself doesn't hurt, it's just like someone pulled a plug on my powers. Changing back feels pretty great, though.' He admitted.

Kagome went to make a comment, but decided to keep her mouth shut.

'I just hate being a weakling human, that's all.'

As if in defiance of that statement, the sun was lost sight of over the hill behind them, and this change overcame InuYasha, his triangle fuzzy ears disappeared in favour of normal, human ones, his claws shortened and bluntened, his eyes turned to a very dark grey, his hair turned jet black, and his expression turned to that of irritation.

'Hmph.'

'You're not that bad of a human though,' Kagome said. 'You're still incredibly strong, and your endurance doesn't fade when you're like this, in fact I think it increases.'

'Keh.' InuYasha looked away.

It was then that the first cold breeze ran through the trees towards them, that went past almost unnoticed.

Kagome stopped walking, forcing him to stop as well, then took a step closer. 'I know you hate being like this, but it's not so bad.'

'Will you quit bugging me about it? It's nothing.' He said shortly, looking sour.

She took a step foreward and kissed him gently. 'I love you, no matter what shape or form you take. I love you just the way you are.'

InuYasha made an uncomfortable noise, turning red.

'What's the matter?'

'I-it's nothing.'

She raised an eyebrow at him.

'Forget it.'

'Hmm.' She pressed her lips together in a thin line.

He bit his lip for a moment, then rushed forward and kissed her deeply, seizing her waist with his free hand.

Almost unnoticingly, he pushed her a few steps backwards and into a tree, of which he pushed her up against, sliding his free hand back around to rest on her hip, and his other hand gripping hers tightly.

Kagome was only slightly surprised to begin with, but upon reaching the tree, she was eagerly finding her way around this set of freshly-turned-human back teeth, but was slightly surprised when she was turned out, only to discover he was nibbling his way down her neck, sending goosebumps from the crown of her head to the tips of her toes.

'You know,' she managed into his human ear, and all she got was a grunt in response, 'being human isn't all that bad,' and she took his earlobe between her teeth, and did a bit of nibbling herself, she knew immediately she was doing something right, because he stopped, right above her clavical, and let out a shivery breath.

The side of his hand slipped almost-but-not-quite accidently beneath the hem of her shirt, and he froze, turned to stone, almost, but because of their proximity, she noticed that _something_ already had.

'K, Kagome?' He forced out between clenched teeth, looking up at her as she released him.

'Y-Yeah?'

These questions, responses and statements were all said through laboured breathing, but InuYasha's eyes had gone hard.

'I love you.'

'I love you, t-too.'

'When this is over,' he started, staring at her, 'When the day ends,' he took a breath, 'will you live with me?'

Kagome stared at him, her eyes like saucers, and for a horrible instant, he thought the worst.

Kagome, however, was having a minor flashback.

_'Mama says it's all about what you do at the end of the day. You know, when everything's finished, and the adventure's over. It's what you do then that's just as important.'_

'I will.' She laughed. 'Of course I will.'

He kissed her again, grinning smugly, but then paused, stepped back, turned around, and started walking.

'Where are you going?' She asked astonishedly, staring after him.

'I'll be back later.' He said over his shoulder.

'But where are you going?' She called to his disappearing figure into the darkness.

'To jump in the lake!' His voice returned, but she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

She cocked her head slightly, before she got it, and she turned away, embarrassed however her fingers traced a certain path down her neck as she started walking in another direction, still processing the events of the evening, only then noticing her breath that hung in the form of condensation in the cold air before her.

* * *

**Shorter chapter, but important stuff.**

**So how was people's silly season? Was Santa good to everyone? I hope so, I want to see everyone happy :3 . **

**Please review!**


	23. Two Priestesses

The water was _shockingly_ cold, it just seemed to enfold him into its darkness.

His original intenton was just to wash his face, however at first glance, the black water hadn't seemed all _that_ cold.

The lake wasn't overly large, however it was large enough for a few rowboats to be moored in, and the time of day was doing nothing to help the temperature.

He treaded water for a little while, then paddled twice around the end of tiny pier he had leapt from, before his teeth started to chatter violently, and he started once again to curse this human body.

'Is that you, InuYasha? What _are_ you doing?' Came a feminine voice, and he looked around, turning as fast as he could manage in the freezing water.

'Swimming. What does it look like?' He said back, approaching the pier, where a familiar-looking priestess was standing.

'Why?' Kikyou asked, offering her hand to help him out.

He ignored it, his expression still irritated, and through seemingly sheer force of will, hauled himself back up onto the woodworks.

'Do I need a reason?'

'You're in a bad mood tonight, aren't you.' Kikyou stated. 'That water must be cold, the river flows straight down from the mountains, where all that snow is.'

'I know that.' He said, pulling his arms through the sleeves of his haori that he had left on the pier, and reattaching the Tetsusaiga to his hip, only then noticing how cold the air had become, noticing how it seemed to take longer than usual for the mist of his breath to dissipate in the still air. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm just passing through. There is a rumour that demons have fled a place to the east. I heard a splash by the lake, I thought someone had fallen in.'

InuYasha shrugged.

'You're turning blue,' she said. 'Human bodies aren't supposed to get that cold.'

'I noticed that.' He said, forcing himself to stop shaking, he could feel his breath hitching in his throat as his lungs attempted to move the freezing air.

'Did something happen?'

He frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'You seem out of sorts.'

He was so cold he could not turn red if he tried. He glanced back down at the water, and saw that ice was forming around the wooden supports of the pier. 'It's nothing.'

They were silent as he tied the final black cord across his chest with burningly cold fingers, then looked back up at her.

'I'm sorry,' he said suddenly, not looking back up. 'I've made my decision.'

He could feel her level gaze on him, and it did not help with the cold.

'I will continue to fight,' he said, looking at her defiantly, 'to exact our revenge, but afterwards,' he returned his gaze downwards. 'I'm sorry.' He repeated, turning away.

'I, understand.' She said quietly, it sounded like she had also turned away.

He forced his legs to start walking, ignoring the cold, he stuffed his hands in his sleeves and balled them into fists, his teeth chattering as he strode out of sight amongst the trees.

It seemed to take an eternity, but he eventually caught sight of the mansion they were spending the night at.

Twice, his joints threatened to seize up seemingly permanently, his muscles seemed to be on fire, and his breath seemed to freeze solid in his chest.

He was shaking, badly enough to make him stumble along.

So it seemed like the golden gates were before him, rather than the high wall of the side of the mansion.

'Oh my god, InuYasha! What the hell are you doing?'

Before he could turn, a beautifully, almost burningly warm person had forced his arms apart and had slipped under one of them, it took a long moment before he could draw enough breath to say anything. '...K-K-K-K-K-Kag-g-g-gome-e-e?'

'You're freezing! Come on, let's get you inside.' The girl pulled him towards the main entrance, he could not help but cling to her warmth.

Now that he looked at her, she had obviously been inside and changed, pulling on a white scarf, a sweater and long pants since he had last seen her.

InuYasha started coughing, great, racking coughs that shook his frame. ''m-m-m f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fi-fine.'

'My foot, InuYasha.' She said, rubbing her hands against his. 'I didn't think you would actually do it, considering how cold it had suddenly gotten.' She looked around at him. 'My god, you're so blue!' She stopped walking momentairily to press her fingers against his face, and kiss his blue lips.

He wrapped himself around her, clinging to the warmth, before she released him and started once again to pull him along.

As soon as they passed the gate, they met a couple of servants, and Kagome immediately requested that a bath be drawn as soon as possible.

'What happened?' One of them, obviously the senior of the three, asked as the other two hurried off.

'My, f,-'

InuYasha had a wild thought that she was going to label him as a friend, which he found vaguely offencive for reasons that his half-frozen over mind seemed to be quite unable to process.

'-, fi-,' she stuttered, 'well, he fell into the lake.' She managed out, turning red, and InuYasha could only stare at her.

'Of course, a bath shall be drawn immediately.' The woman bowed, then hurried off after the other two, not before pointing the direction of where such an event would take place.

'Come on, InuYasha,' Kagome said distractedly, pulling him in the direction the servant had indicated. 'You have to get in before they start warming the water, or you'll do more damage.'

They made their way as quickly as they could into the main house and around the outer edge of it, into a back corner, where the room the servant had indicated lay in waiting, and went inside.

Kagome stuck her hand in the bath, where the that was already there was cold but not unpleasantly so, then turned to face him.

'Give me your haori, and the Tetsusaiga.' She said, watching with concern as he started coughing again. 'Then strip and get in. They'll start warming the water any minute now.'

He nodded, unable to speak through coughing, then started to pull off his robe of the fire rat, undoing the sword at his waist. 'S-s-s-stup-p-pid-d-d-d-d h-h-h-hum-m-m-man b-b-b-bod-d-d-d-dy-y.' He managed, handing the Tetsusaiga to the girl. 'It-t-t-t-t w-w-was-sn't-t-t,' he paused, forcing himself to take a breath, rubbing his hands together, '-th-th-that-t-t c-c-c-c-c-cold-d-d-d-d.'

'Sure it wasn't.' Kagome said evenly, taking the haori and draping it over her arm, before she started walking towards the door. 'I'll be outside if you need me.'

'G-g-g-g-g-'

'Don't forget to soak underwater for a little while. I'd hate to see those ears get frostbite, I'd never see your fluffy ones again.' She said, pausing as she left, before she turned red and closed the door behind her a little more firmly then she obviously would have liked.

InuYasha just shook his head, then peeled off the rest of his clothes, and got into the relatively hot (to him at least) water, his extremities burning slightly from the temperature change.

* * *

**Some of you might have noticed that I changed the summary; I needed something that sums up the whole story more, rather than just the first arc (even though it sums up InuYasha beautifully). **

**Also, we're getting our first hints of the main event! Ha!**

**Anyway, love you all, so review! :P**


	24. Omelette Rice

InuYasha stepped out of the room about an hour later feeling much better, albeit still irritated, yet he stumbled slightly in his haste to avoid the sudden obsticle that awaited him through the wooden sliding door.

He swore under his breath as he looked around, to see Kagome, sitting in the corner next to the door, sound asleep, her knees loosely tucked up against her, and she was hugging his haori to her chest, the Tetsusaiga sliding its way out of her grasp, to become the tripping hazard in front of the door.

He crouched before her and shook her shoulder slightly. 'Kagome?' He said gently, suddenly over his bout of annoyance, stopping his sword from its bout to freedom by removing it from her under her elbow.

'Five more minutes.' She murmured, turning her head towards the wall.

'Wake up, you can't sleep here.' He shook her a little more, but she sighed, and said nothing.

He huffed slightly, reattached the Tetsusaiga, then gathered her up, standing once more.

She shifted, resting her forehead against the corner of his jaw, he could feel her warm breath against his neck.

'Hmmm, InuYasha?' She said sleepily as he started to move, back down the long hallway. 'Look out, that fish has a baseball bat.'

He raised an eyebrow at what little of her he could see without disturbing her. 'I can take any stupid fish, no matter what its got.'

'I know, but it's a really big one. I don't want you to get hurt again.'

'Keh.' He said, sticking his nose in the air slightly.

She was silent for a long moment, and he could tell that she was smiling in her sleep, as he turned a corner, heading towards her room.

'InuYasha?'

'What?'

'You smell nice.' She turned her face slightly, burying it into the side of his neck, and he turned red.

'Oh really.' He said gruffly.

'Mm hmm.' She responded, softening, as InuYasha suddenly ducked out of sight, avoiding a few passing servants.

He remained quiet as he listened hard, then peered around the corner, before finally emerging once more, cursing his human nose.

He snuck halfway down the next corridor, before reaching her room, to which he managed the door with his foot, slipped inside, then shut it behind them.

Looking around, he quickly discovered the futon set up upon the floor, and he approachd it, then set her down upon it.

She almost seemed to come half-awake as she lay down, pulling the covers up around her. 'Oh, okay.' She muttered.

He stood and made to leave, but was halted.

'Don't go, InuYasha.' She said, no longer awake in the slightest. 'Naraku's stolen the toaster, and now we can't make omlette rice!'

His confusion over this held no bounds, but he said nothing, only sat down against one of the walls, crossing his arms.

She muttered something indescipherable, frowning. 'Come over here.' She said sternly, in such a tone that he immediately scrambled to his feet. 'Look what you've done to Shippou.'

He sat down before her, slightly enjoying himself. 'He probably deserved it.' He grinned.

'"_Probably_"? You turned him into a goose for no reason?' Her tone was a little shocked as she shifted, rolling onto the side closest to him.

'Keh.'

'Sit.' She said, shifting into a more comfortable position, as he collided with the side of her futon.

'What was that for?' He said, frowning, but her wandering fingers had found his face, and all was mostly forgiven, she pulled herself foreward so her cheek was resting against his, he could feel her breath on his human ear, and found it to be not an uncomfortable sensation. 'What are you doing?'

'It's cold over there.' She stated.

'So?'

'It's warm over here.'

He turned a very deep shade of red. 'What are you getting at?'

'Your haori isn't that warm, you know.'

'You would know; you have it.' He spotted it abandoned just out of his reach.

She was silent for a moment. 'When was the last time you slept under a blanket?'

She spoke in such a tone that he was almost sure she had awoken, and he frowned, unable to see her face, however he opted for examining the curve of her ear, he could feel his face flaming.

'Not for a while.' He shrugged, attempting to brush off the idea.

'Then come over here. Buyo's putting on a side of bacon, so we have to get that toaster back.'

* * *

InuYasha awoke a few short hours later to discover he was actually comfortable.

He was lying on his side, his head propped by his arm, and the covers were very soft.

He looked down, to see that Kagome was gripping his shirt with balled hands so tight her knuckles were white,and was pressing her forehead against his chest.

'...no...' she muttered, pressing her face closer. '...no, don't...'

'Kagome?' He took one of her wrists and shook it. 'It's a bad dream, wake up.'

'...don't touch me,' her voice was muffled slightly by his chest.

'What?' He felt wounded.

'You're covered in goo, go away.'

'I can't, you're holding onto me.' He couldn't conceal his slight relief.

She did not reliquish her grip. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to.'

'Mean what?'

'I got egg all over you. Are you alright?'

'Keh.'

'I didn't mean to.' She whimpered.

'It's fine, so wake up.'

He shook her again and she started slightly, before releasing her grip and looking around. 'InuYasha?'

'What's going on?' She looked down to see her hands, and she released them carefully, turning red.

'You were having a bad dream.'

She looked back up, to see his concerned face, and she frowned. 'What are you doing here?'

'Uh,' for the life of him, he could not give her a reason that would make any sort of sense to her. 'Long story.'

She blinked at him. 'Oh, I'm still dreaming.'

He hesitated, then nodded greatly. 'That's it. You're dreaming.'

'Okay then.' She said placidly, hiding her face in his clavacle again. 'That's fine.'

He released the breath he didn't notice he was holding, turning a darker shade of red, but grinning slightly, enjoying his perpetual courtship with death herself.

'Hey, Kagome?' He said quietly, looking down at her.

'Hm?'

'Did you know you talk in your sleep?' He honestly tried to hide the little grin on his lips, but failed.

She was quiet for a moment. 'Oh, I-' She cut herself off, going bright red.

InuYasha blinked at her, suddenly proud of the free ticket he'd given himself. 'What's that about?'

She hid herself in his clavical, still red. 'Nothing, nothing. This is a dream, right?'

'Right.' He confirmed, still grinning slightly.

She peeked up at him. 'This one's very realistic.'

He shut his eyes again, enjoying his comfort for a long moment, listening to the comfortable silence.

There was a slight shifting in the covers, and movement before him, he peeked down to see her folding herself against him, she rested her head against the edge of his elbow, sighing a little.

And this, was something he found he could get used to.

* * *

**Hey all! :) I'm updating a little early, but I'm going to be suuuper busy over the weekend and over most of next week, I figured you guys would like earlier rather than later :P . **

**This particular event (well, chapter anyway) wasn't originally a part of the story, but I just _really_ wanted to do my own scene of InuYasha-and-Kagome-asleep-together, which seems to be the norm of any self-respecting (and some non-) fanfiction, but I wanted it to be semi-realistic (which is, as my readers would know, something I strive for), so this is the result. **

**I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Also, this little arc (the cold walk that InuYasha took bit) was also a slight tribute to another story that I was writing a while back, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere so I stopped writing (and therefore never made it here :( ). I had fun writing it, as well as this section, I think this particular chapter was my third favourite chapter to write! (the others are coming up, you'll have to find out! :P . **

**Reviews; thanks to KatalsSomebody, hope this helps! Also Nycorall and the unsigned Guest, thank you!**

**Keep reviewing, please!**


	25. Cold Morning

'Did anyone see last night? It snowed!' Miroku said, looking around the group as they departed the next morning.

Miroku was obviously the most chipper of the group, his mood contrasting greatly to the serious weather of the morning, his feet planted carefully as he stood on an icy patch of the road.

'Obviously,' InuYasha said, looking around at the white snow that clung to the ground, his hands in the sleeves of his finally re-aquired haori.

The snow was only a few inches deep, and was already starting to melt again, but it had done its damage to the temperature of the frosty morning, the group could still see their breaths.

They were heading along an obviously well used road on the outskirts of the village, moving on in the chill morning air, and InuYasha was getting irritated at Kagome's concerned (albeit not entirely incorrect) glances at his bare feet on the frozen ground that was occasionally slick with ice.

'That doesn't surprise me in the slightest,' Kagome said, rubbing at the sleep in one eye a little.

Kagome had pulled her fingers into her sleeves of her jacket, smiling slightly over who it reminded her of, but her sleeves weren't as roomy, or warm as his. She could not shake the strangest dream she had had that previous night, one of herself and InuYasha tucked up in bed together like an old married couple, yet she had enjoyed it, so she was glad of the clarity of her memories of it. She did, strangely enough, keep getting curious glances from the hanyou in question, however.

'I think I remember seeing it snow,' Sango muttered, looking exactly like she had a splitting headache.

Her hair was messy, the air around her was brooding, and she had dark circles under her eyes, like she did not sleep well at all.

'I saw it!' Shippou said.

Shippou's usual bright mood was near on to Miroku's that morning, and he had the last of a snack stuffed in his mouth, chewing happily.

'Good, I'm glad I wasn't the only one.' Miroku said cheerfully.

Sango looked at him darkly. 'How can you stand to be so happy?'

'Because, my love, I can hold my drink better than you.'

Sango turned red, gripping the strap of Hiraikotsu a little tighter across her shoulder. '"My love"? That's a new one.'

Miroku hesitated slightly, then smiled. 'Why thank you. I thought it up all on my own.'

Kagome and InuYasha exchanged a dry glance, then turned deep red and looked away.

Miroku then sidled up to InuYasha, who had the nervous grin of one who had just gained a victory when they had been expecting defeat. 'I heard something interesting in passing from some servants.' He said lightly in an undertone.

'Oh really.' InuYasha said in an unimpressed tone.

'That a strange person wearing the same clothes as that of one of the guests, yet was clearly not, had fallen in the lake.'

'So?'

'Well unless someone had stolen Kagome's clothes while no one was looking, my next guess would be that that was you.'

'What's your point?'

'Nothing, nothing, I was just curious as to what you were doing down by the lake, and what could have caused you to fall in?'

InuYasha looked away, looking uncomfortable.

'Also, just as a side note, I also heard this person was labelled as "the priestess one's fiancée". Care to elaborate?' Miroku's grin was not unlike a chesire cat.

'Not really. Shut up, Miroku.'

Miroku wiggled his eyebrows at him.

'I said; shut up!' InuYasha threatened a fist.

'I did not say a word, InuYasha, did not say a word.' Miroku stood back, raising his hands in a surrender.

'Well, no one's asking you to.' InuYasha said darkly.

Sango seemed to catch on to what was being said, and stepped over to Kagome. 'What's this?'

'I agree, Sango, what's this? You look a little hung over.'

'Hung over?'

'You know, the morning after drinking when you feel utterly terrible?'

Sango just didn't look like she had the energy nor willpower to lie. 'You got me.'

'What were you drinking for?'

'It was cold.'

'Yes, I noticed that.'

Sango looked at her. 'Where were you all night? I didn't see you at all! I don't think.' She amended, pressing at her temples.

'I was, around the place. What do you mean, you don't think? Don't you remember?'

'What do you mean, around the place? I hope you weren't outside in the cold. And no, I don't remember quite a lot of last night.'

Miroku, InuYasha and Shippou were all keenly listening in on this conversation as subtly as they could, and getting their heads turned around for their trouble.

'I was, actually, but only for some of it. Why were you drinking, Sango? You never seemed the type for it.'

'What on earth were you doing, then? It was about what Ta-chan said to me. She knows how to hit the nail on the head, right?'

'Absolutely.' Kagome responded quickly. 'I went for a walk, and InuYasha fell in the lake. Ta-chan had a rather uncanny prediction nestled in with her reading, didn't she?'

Sango shivered slightly. 'It was just a little scary.' She rounded on InuYasha. 'What were you doing in the lake?' She looked back at Kagome. 'Was he with you?'

InuYasha raised his hands in a surrender. 'Nope, I'm staying out of this.'

'So you were drinking with Miroku?' Kagome frowned. 'That's either the best or the worst possible situation. And yeah,' she admitted, 'he was,' she glanced back at him, then back at Sango, turning a flaming red.

'It's the worst, because I can't remember.' She stepped a bit closer, so the guys, well, Miroku at least, couldn't hear. 'Did he really, ask you,'

'That _is _concerning.' Kagome turned another shade of red. 'n-no,' she said in a completely inconvincing tone, then hung her head. 'Well, sort of,'

InuYasha, behind them, had suddenly found his toenails to be incredibly facinating.

Shippou just shook his head. 'Girl's conversations are _insane_ly complicated.'

'You're telling me.' Miroku responded, grinning slightly.

* * *

**Hey all! An aftermath to the interesting night, wouldn't you agree?**

**Anyway, this is the last chapter on this little arc, next time we'll jump straight into the next arc, and it's much bigger :3**

**Thanks to Nycorall and PinkRose16 for their reviews.**

**Please review!**


	26. Talking to Oneself

'I'm sorry,' Kagome laughed. 'What?'

'Well you were away for so long, I wasn't sure when you would be coming back, but she'll be incredibly grateful to you if you could do it for her.'

'Yeah!' Souta said brightly. 'And I get to be ring bearer!'

Kagome was standing in the doorway of her living room where the rest of her family was seated, almost exactly three weeks later, and Kagome was looking tired, after spending those weeks investigating a tip off that InuYasha had happened upon, about demons disappearing.

'The final fitting is tomorrow, I'd already given your measurements to the dressmaker, just in case you made it back in time.' Kagome's mother said. 'The rehearsal's on thursday, and the wedding's in ten days.'

Kagome continued to laugh.

'You could use this time to catch up on your studies!' Her grandfather said.

'A wedding? Seriously?'

'I don't see what's so funny about it,' Souta said.

'You don't need to worry about it that much,' her mother said, 'you're a bridesmaid, not the bride. It's a western style wedding, because the groom-to-be is from England. And I thought you might enjoy it. This is for your cousin, after all.'

'Yeah, we don't have many relatives, so it's great when someone gets married.' Souta said.

This caused Kagome another short bout of laughter, shaking her head. 'Sure, I'll do it.'

Her mother smiled. 'That's good to hear, Tsuki will be very grateful. I'll go and give her a call now, why don't you go and have a bath. You look very tired, dear.'

'I will, thank you.' Kagome left the room, still chuckling to herself. 'A wedding,' She said to herself as she trudged up the stairs, already longing for the steaming water.

* * *

_Wedding_, she was still chuckling upstairs in the hot water.

She was scrubbing half-heartedly at a smudge of dirt on her forearm that seemed perfectly content on its current location, and had no intention of moving, her thoughts elsewhere.

The absurdity of matrimony seemed a little far-fetched, considering her recent travels, however she was certainly ready for something normal to occur in her life that didn't put that life of hers in jeopardy as the feudal era seemed to enjoy doing to her on a regular basis.

'I suppose I'll have to get used to them,' she said aloud to nobody in particular. 'I mean, Sango and Miroku will be,' she paused, turning red. 'I said I'd live with InuYasha. Doesn't that entail,' she suddenly found that smudge of dirt fascinating but then paused.

'Does it?' She asked the dirt. 'Maybe it's different with demons. And half-demons too, for that matter.'

The dirt did not respond under its interrogation, refusing to shed light on the subject.

'No, no,' she disagreed, 'back when I'd first met Kouga, he said he'd make me his wife, and then there was all that business with Ayame and fiancées. Anyway, would hanyous even be allowed to follow any sort of demon traditions?'

She stared at the dirt patch for a long moment. 'But InuYasha seems to be closer to the demon community than the human ones. At the very least, he knows more about demons than humans.'

The smudge said nothing, but she took its silence as an agreement.

'So does he or does he not?' She ran her fingers through the water thoughtfully. 'I can't say I'm looking forward to see Miroku and Sango married, I'm not really sure if Miroku could survive.' She told the smudge. 'As long as Miroku learns to keep his hands to himself,' she paused, 'or at least within the relationship.'

The smudge did not answer, its aloof quietness not giving away any answers.

'I can't believe I'm considering this.' She muttered, shaking her head slightly. 'Getting, well, you know,' she said to the smudge. 'I don't even want to think about what my friends in this time would say if they knew. I mean,' she pushed her damp hair back over her shoulder and raised the smudge for inspection, to see it hadn't budged. 'They think he's my boyfriend.' She explained to it. 'It's hard to think of him as anything more than that, he's always been just "InuYasha".'

She chuckled slightly again. 'Ten days, I don't know _what_ he's going to do to me when he finds out I want to stay _ten days._'

The smudge continued its earthy silence, and she nodded.

'It's not like I don't deserve this break though, and with it being ten days and all, I might actually have some sort of snowballs chance to catch up with what I've missed.' She sighed. 'I realize that it's important that we get back over to the eastern area, but if its important like this, then I should go.' She looked down at the smudge. 'I mean, if I'm going to live with him, that would mean remaining in the feudal era, rather than the present.'

A thought struck her suddenly. 'You're right,' she addressed the smudge, 'what if I have to choose a side of the well? What would I do? What side would I choose to be on?' She hugged her knees to her chest. 'I don't have to think about it, I know which side I would choose, but I still don't want to lose either side of the well.'

She turned away from her troubling thoughts. 'But a wedding? I hadn't given my cousin much thought after she went abroad five years ago. I mean, I knew her before that, we used to play together as kids.' She elaborated to the smudge, looking down at it, to discover it was gone.

'Oh.'

* * *

**Hey all! Yep, here's the next arc. The more cynical slash experienced of you should already be able to guess at the entire plot of this arc, so in any case, just sit back and enjoy the characters. I will tell you, there's an event scene at the end, so save often!**

**Haha, anyway, please review! And have fun!**


	27. Venice

'Oh, wow, Kagome.' Souta grimaced as pins were stuck a little too close for comfort to his skin. 'You look really pretty!'

'You think so?' Kagome said, looking at herself in the floor length mirror.

She was wearing a one-shoulder, gentle pink dress, with a wandering, silver design down the shoulder that made its way down to her waist in little curls and crescent shapes, made an intricate, flower-like design there, then continued its wandering all the way down to her hem, and making its way around it, as if it was looking for a way to get back up.

She also had on elbow length, seamless white gloves, that were just a fraction too small, she noticed, but it was something she could live with, and white, moderately high heels, that could not be seen under the floor-length dress.

'Perfect!' Tsuki was saying, her own gloved hands on her shoulders, looking at her. 'I was scared that it wouldn't fit you at all! But look at that!'

Tsuki was wearing a soft white, floor length wedding dress, that had a section of fabric carefully fitted around her waist to the top of her hips, and an incredibly pale pink string of flowers at the top that sat directly under her bust, and another two similar stretches of fabric pulled gently up from this original piece to become her sleeves, and the neckline was very modest.

'You look gorgeous, cousin.' Kagome said, smiling at her.

'Thank you,' Tsuki replied, swishing the skirt of her dress back and forth a little, looking like a princess.

'Are you wearing anything in your hair?' Kagome asked. 'And how should I have mine?'

'I'm wearing it in a bun, sort of,' the woman gestured vaguely at the messy bun she had previously pulled it into quickly for the great dress escapades. 'But it'll be curly, and all pulled back. I'll also be wearing a pair of earrings that George's parents brought over from England especially.' She roved her eyes over Kagome's hair. 'You'll have to curl yours, I think. Curl it and pull it all back, so that it sort of cascades over this shoulder.' She patted Kagome's bare right shoulder.

'Right.'

'But don't worry about it, everyone, being the other bridesmaids, you, and I, will all be getting ready together.'

'Got it. So tell me, where are you going for your honeymoon?' Kagome questioned.

'We're going to Venice.' Tsuki gushed. 'I can't believe it, I've always dreamed of going there.'

'_Venice_?' Kagome questioned. 'Are you serious? That's amazing. How long are you staying there?'

'Three weeks, and we're going to visit Rome on the way back. It's going to be great.'

'I'm so envious, you always did have your eyes set on faraway lands.' Kagome grinned back, patting her cousin's shoulder delicately.

'That's right,' Tsuki said, her gaze far away as she remembered old times, 'we always used to play adventures together.' She came back to the present, looking at Kagome in the mirror. 'So what about you, are you planning on studying abroad or something?'

'What, take after you?' Kagome nudged. 'No, I get enough adventures staying right here in Japan.' Kagome smiled coyly.

Tsuki opened her mouth to say something else, but then suddenly a mobile phone rang from behind them and the bride span, pulling off her wrist-length gloves in the process, and hurried towards the chair that was covered in handbags belonging to the four women present.

She rummaged around for a moment in a bright red one, then produced a loudly ringing phone.

'Hello?' She started, and Kagome was about to turn her attention elsewhere, when Tsuki turned pale. 'George? Wait,- what? What's the matter?'

The other women looked around worriedly.

'Oh my god, is he okay?' She paused. 'Are you sure?' She asked, biting her lip. 'I know, of course it had to happen _now_,-No, I'm not crying, we'll just need to find someone to fill in.' She scratched at her chin as she started pacing. 'I'll ask. There's got to be someone we can use, right? Alright, love you. Talk to you later. Bye. Goodbye!' She hung up, looking scared.

'What's the matter?' The maid of honour that Kagome had discovered was named Cara asked.

'Nick, one of the groomsmen, dropped a table on his foot and broke it when they were helping set up the reception, and now he can't be a groomsmen anymore!'

'Oh no!' Said the bridesmaid called Erika.

'Now we just need someone to fill in for him, but it might just take a miracle.'

'What's the problem?' Kagome asked.

'Nick is tall, and has very broad shoulders, most of the men over here in Japan are too narrow and short.' Cara said, striding over to her best friend; Tsuki, before looking back around at Kagome. 'No offence or anything.'

'How tall is he?' Kagome shrugged slightly, taking no offence at all.

'About this high,' Erika indicated with her hand, showing someone around three-quarters of a head taller than the two girls. 'Very solidly built.'

'George won't be able to fly anyone over in time.' Tsuki said a little numbly.

'Well,' Kagome said a little embarrassedly. 'I might know someone who could fit your criteria.'

'Really?' Erika stared at her. 'Who? Can he be here at the guys fitting this time tomorrow?'

'Sure. He's my, boyfriend. I'll talk to him tonight about it.'

'Are you sure he'll be fine with it?'

Kagome had to cross her fingers behind her back. 'Sure, he won't mind at all.'

'Well that solves our problem then.' Cara said.

'Yup, crisis averted.' Tsuki said, letting out a breath. 'I think I need to sit down.' She admitted, wobbling for a moment.

'Don't you bail on us too!' Erika said. 'You're not as easily replaceable!'

'No, no, I'm fine.' She said, pushing her handbag off of the velvet chair in front of her and sitting down delicately.

* * *

**Sorry about the late update, guys! I've been officially offline since I moved, and I've only just gotten internet access then! ^^;**

**Anyway, what did I tell you about the plot of this arc? I had a lot of fun writing it anyway. **

**Please review!**


	28. Selfishness

InuYasha sneezed, startling him out of his doze and into a sitting position from his point sitting on Kaede's roof.

'Hmm?' He looked around, sniffing as one does after a spectacular sneeze, then stretching slightly.

He turned his nose to the air, not really noticing anything and particular that could have agitated said nose so thoroughly, and shrugged slightly distastefully. _Someone just must be talking about me._

As his thoughts turned to the who and why, he lay back down on the hard timbers, crossing his hands behind his head, taking a slight note of the sun that was halfway through setting.

_Five days,_ he thought, his eyes on the clouds that could still be seen in the orange light. _Five days is too long! We should be moving, tracking, or just,_ he floundered slightly,_ doing something!_

He suddenly noticed the incredibly foreboding feeling that had settled in his gut, that something potentially very painful was coming his way, not unlike the the look that Kagome always gave him right before she would sit him.

But, considering the girl in question was neither there or had any particular reason to do so, as well as any other potentially painful people were well out of throwing reach, he just rolled onto his side, ignoring it.

He was, in fact, alone at that moment, the hut beneath him empty, as Kaede was off helping an ill person, and Sango and Miroku were off elsewhere doing things that InuYasha held no interest in nor cared about.

Shippou was gone as well, something that InuYasha found himself breathing a sigh of relief over.

That kitsun was way to inquisitive, and had far too much of a track record of a big mouth to be anything but a nuisance to InuYasha.

He found himself reddening in irritation as he thought about the fox demon's questions, although mainly about the last time he had had a minute with Kagome on the way back, and the annoyance had walked in on it.

InuYasha had felt like he'd been scared out of a few years of his life when Shippou had loudly proclaimed his entrance, his thoughts and eyes clearly elsewhere, but the damage to the moment had been done, and InuYasha felt cheated upon missing out.

Kagome had seemed a little disappointed as well, his sole redeeming thought, but he agreed with himself once again, it was indeed annoying; travelling with the runt and his unnerving habit to pop up unexpectedly.

He would have to somehow convince Kagome into leaving the fox tyke behind at a village somewhere, he had spent more than enough time leeching off of them anyway.

_That _is_ coming, right?_ He thought, his mind turning to the future. _I mean, Shippou won't be there when,_ InuYasha found himself reddening, _Kagome and I, live together? Of course, the first thing I'm going to do when that happens is ban the runt from setting foot in,_ he found his mind wandering, and his face darkening as he considered an abode that he and the girl would share.

_Basically, you just want Kagome all to yourself._ A little voice said, and he rolled to his other side uncomfortably, making an equally as uncomfortable noise.

_Well, obviously._ He frowned, still embarrassed, shutting his eyes. _I don't exactly plan on sharing her. Even if it's that annoying runt._

The breeze picked up a familiar scent, and that feeling of dread in his stomach twisted slightly.

He sat up. 'I thought you said five days, Kagome.' InuYasha called down to the girl in question in a surprised tone as she appeared around a corner in the last hints of daylight. 'You're early.'

'Well, not really,' She said, laughing nervously and putting her hands together. 'Could you come down? I have a favour to ask.'

With a single bound, he leapt off of the roof, and landed neatly in front of her, looking serious. 'What's the problem?'

'Well,' she started, 'um,'

He raised an eyebrow at her.

'Will you, please, uh, as a favour to me,' she scuffed her feet in the dust a little, looking anywhere but at him, 'go to a wedding with me?'

His concerned look seemed to freeze on his face.

'You see, my cousin's getting married,' she elaborated, 'and she came back to Japan especially for the wedding, but one of the groomsmen broke his foot, so I sort of offered for you to take his place, so you could come with me?'

He still seemed to be frozen.

'All you'd have to do is wear a tux, and not make a mess at the reception? Please?'

The statue that had momentairly replaced the hanyou blinked at her.

'Please, please, please? For me?' She laced her fingers under her chin pleadingly. 'I'll do anything to pay you back.'

'A, wedding?' He finally managed out.

'Yes.' She nodded.

'Why?'

'Because it's my cousin, InuYasha. She means a lot to me.'

'Not right now,' he decided.

'No, not _right_ now, in a week's time, actually.'

'But-'

'Please?'

'And if I don't?'

'Then I'll be horribly disappointed.' She looked away, but glanced slyly back at him. 'And you would be too.'

'Why on earth would I be?' He said confusedly, raising his hands defensively.

'I've got a beautiful dress picked out already. I'm a bridesmaid, by the way. And if you don't,' she sighed, 'then I'll just have to get someone like the Houjou from my time to take me instead.'

'What!?' He exclaimed, already raising his hands against the threat.

'I just thought, considering you don't find the idea of weddings as repulsive as anyone would have first thought,' she pressed suggestively, raising her eyebrows at him, 'that you would rather take me than let someone else.'

InuYasha looked for a long moment like he was going to explode, as he turned a blotchety red, but then hung his head in defeat. 'Fine.' He said.

Kagome threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. 'Thank you!'

'Questions, though.'

'Anything.' She said, peeking up at him.

'What the hell are "groomsmen"? And a "reception"? And a "bridesmaid"? And a "tux"?'

She, however, seized his hand and started pulling him back towards the well. 'I'll show you. It's a western style wedding, so you could learn a thing or two.'

'Western?'

'A long, long way from here, to the west.'

'What, like, the continent?'

She paused, and looked at him, then smiled. 'Watch out, InuYasha, your world is about to get a _whole_ lot bigger.'

'What do you mean?' InuYasha was looking totally lost as he was pulled along at a strapping pace once again.

* * *

**Yep, I continue to love InuYasha's reaction, but even more so the foreboding feeling he gets like a rock in his stomach. **

**I hope everyone had a good valentines day, I will be the valentine of anyone who wants it :3 .**

**Thanks to nycorrall, and I have to agree with you. You'll have to find out what he looks like wearing it! :P**

**Please review!**


	29. Geography

_Knock-knock-knock._

'Souta? Are you in there?'

There was a series of thumps, before the door opened, to reveal one third-grader in his pyjamas.

'Oh, heya Onee-chan, InuYasha. What's up?' Souta said through a mouthful of something, as he eyed up the two standing outside his door, his eyebrows raising only a fraction as he noticed they were holding hands.

InuYasha, was looking slightly confused, and very suspicious, Souta knew perfectly well the hanyou would have had his arms crossed had they not been otherwise occupied.

'Could we borrow your globe?' Kagome asked.

'My globe? Sure!' He said, turning back into his room, leaving the door open, where he went over to his desk and climbed on top of it, retrieving a multi-coloured globe from the top of his bookshelf, then leapt down. 'Here you go.'

'Thanks.' Kagome said, taking it in one hand and started pulling InuYasha down the hall with the other. 'Come on, InuYasha!' She said a little excitedly, leaving Souta looking confused at his doorway.

'Okay,' Kagome said as she strode into her room, and sat the globe down on her desk, span it once to have Asia facing her, and stuck her finger to Tokyo. 'Here's where we are now.'

'What is that?' InuYasha frowned at the spherical object.

'This, InuYasha,' Kagome said in her most mystical voice, wiggling her fingers, 'Is a map.'

'But it doesn't look like anywhere I've seen.' InuYasha said, examining it closely.

'That's because it's got a lot on it. See? Here's Japan, where we are now.' She brought to his attention. 'And over here's the continent.'

'The distance is bigger than that.' He said stubbornly.

'Well the people who made this had to make it that small, because if you look in this direction,' she span the globe slightly, 'here's America.'

'There's nothing beyond that sea.' He said. 'It just goes on and on, like the continent.'

'Do you really believe that?'

'Well, no, but,' he turned the globe in the other direction towards Europe. 'So it does end?'

'Yes. Here in our time, we call the people who live over there the "westerners", because they came from Europe and Africa.' She pointed them out.

'Were they there back then? As in, when I'm from.'

'Yes, actually, they were there before we came here. Anyway, my cousin, Tsuki, is marrying a guy from over here,' she pointed to England, 'and their wedding is in the style of one from his country.'

InuYasha was silent as he examined the globe, sitting down and leaning against the side of her desk, turning it over in his hands.

Kagome rested a hand on his shoulder and pecked his cheek, smiling a little. 'You don't need to worry about it, so don't look so serious.' She said, sitting down next to him.

'Do people live here too?' He said, turning the globe on its end and pointing to an upside-down Australia.

'Yes, people live all over the world.'

'And this is a map of the whole world?'

'Yep.'

'It's huge!'

'Yes, yes it is.'

'Are there demons in these places too?'

Kagome opened her mouth to respond, but then suddenly looked not so sure of herself. 'Well, I'm pretty sure there aren't, but I used to say the same thing about Japan, before I met you.'

InuYasha dragged his gaze away from the globe to look at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable, before looking back.

'Anyway,' Kagome said, 'about this wedding, you'll be fitted with the other groomsmen and the groom tomorrow, the rehearsal's in three days, the wedding's in nine days.'

'What are groomsmen? Sounds like something to do with horses.'

'They're some guys that are usually friends with the groom help support the groom during the wedding. The guy you're replacing broke his foot, so he'll be in hospital, so he couldn't make it, and he was one of the groom's best friends.'

'And "bridesmaids" are girls who help the bride?'

'Yep, that's the one. It'll be easy, you don't have to worry about it.'

'There are a lot of things I suddenly shouldn't worry about.'

'You'll also be wearing a, tux.' She almost drifted off, staring at him a little dreamily.

He stared back for a second. 'What's a "tux"?'

She did not answer him for a moment, she was too busy getting that starry-eyed expression. 'It's a style of clothes that we have nowadays. You'll look, great.' She sighed a little.

He, however, raised an eyebrow at her, slightly concerned for her sanity, shifting a little uncomfortably under her staring.

'Are, you alright there?'

'Perfectly fine.' She said, biting her lip a little, as he turned his attention back to the globe.

He glanced up as she moved to say something else, but she opted to remain silent, her hands half raised, her lips half forming the words she seemed to want to say.

'If you've got something to say, then say it.' He said a little shortly, setting the globe down and looking at her.

'I just,' she shook her head, her cheeks dusting pink. 'It's nothing.'

'Spit it out!' His temper was rising a little, but he was honestly curious, suddenly noticing something decidedly odd about her scent that he could not quite place, but it piqued memories that turned his face red.

She sighed greatly, then clapped his shoulders with both hands, a woeful grin on her face, the oddity about her scent fading. 'Don't take this personally, but you're an idiot sometimes.'

'What do you mean?' He was starting to get frustrated by this girl. 'How am I an idiot? I don't understand.'

'Don't worry about it.' She said disappointingly, looking away.

'Hey.' He said, taking the top of her arm. 'If you don't tell me, then I'm not going to know. I'm not a mind reader, you know.'

She blinked, looking back around at him. 'That was unexpectedly wise of you.' She said slightly surprisedly.

'Hmph.' He did not let up gazing at her intently, waiting for her response, and she reddened again, her scent changing a little again.

'I'm just, kind of,' she was flushing greatly, but she was leaning a little closer, that starry expression back, 'right now,' she hesitated, 'wanting you a little b-'

Suddenly her door opened to the sound of 'hey, Nee-san! I need your-what are you doing on the floor?'

Souta had entered the room, and Kagome in her shock had fallen over, whilst InuYasha had pushed himself backwards, hitting his head painfully on the corner of her desk.

_Right. This runt's going on the list too._ InuYasha thought agitatedly as he rubbed his head unimpressedly.

* * *

**I'm not really sure what's going on with the world at the moment, but why on earth isn't "disappointedly" a part of the english language? I was so sure it was, but right now my chrome spell checker clearly has a red line underneath. It does as well for "agitatedly", "surprisedly" and "unimpressedly" (as seen above), of which I have the same opinion about.**

**Maybe it's just not politically correct at the moment (but god knows what is or isn't any more).**

**Anyway, I've got to keep this short, I don't have a lot of time, so Nycorral, you'll just have to wait and see for the next chapter :3 . **

**Please review!**


	30. Tux

'So I promise, InuYasha, that afterwards, we'll do something that you might like.' Kagome said as they stood outside the fittings shop. 'It's a surprise, so you have to be nice to the other people, okay?'

InuYasha, however, turned slightly pink at her statement, and had to look away. 'Keh.'

'Do you remember the rules?'

He sighed exasperatedly. 'Yes.'

'Good.' She smiled at him, in a sweet way that almost made him want to hide, and opened the glass panelled door, where three other guys were waiting for them, and one was already dressed up, who strode towards them upon seeing them. 'And that, InuYasha, is a tux.' She said in an undertone.

InuYasha looked mildly startled.

'Oh, hey! Hello!' Said the guy. He was moderately tall, but slightly shorter than InuYasha, and almost had a wirey build about him, with short, sandy brown hair and startling blue eyes, something similar to Hideaki's. 'You must be Kagome, am I right?' He shook her hand warmly, and InuYasha was frowning at his accent. 'I'm George; the groom. Your friend here must be the one to replace Nick.'

'Yes, this is InuYasha.' She said, and George seized his hand as well, shaking it.

'Good to meet you, InuYasha, thanks for coming at such short notice.'

InuYasha was leaning back a little, eager to free his hand that the englishman was for some reason shaking. 'No, problem.'

'Hey, "InuYasha", was it?' Said the tallest of the men. 'Name like that, you in some sort of gang or something?'

'No,' InuYasha said, frowning.

Kagome shot him an _I'll-explain-it-to-you-later_ look.

'That's Darren.' George said, gesturing at the large man. 'And that's Steve.' He nodded at the bespecticaled, bare-chested man who was getting his chest measured by a fitter.

Darren strode over, suddenly looking a lot more hulking, he was clearly a very muscular guy. 'Well then, where'd you get a name like that?'

InuYasha crossed his arms, looking miffed. 'My old man gave it to me. You got a problem with that?'

Kagome blinked at this new tid-bit of information.

Darren, however, stared stonily at the hanyou for a long moment, before bursting out laughing. 'You're alright, kid.' He said, slapping him heartily on the back.

InuYasha smirked a little.

The one called Steve called out something from his position, in a fluid, yet complex-sounding language that InuYasha was lost on.

George said something back, and Darren laughed.

'Good-afternoon, InuYasha, my-name-is, Steve.' Steve said woodenly.

Darren looked like he was going to wet himself.

'Sorry, Steve doesn't speak japanese very well, he's never been this far east before.' George smiled, scratching at the back of his neck.

InuYasha puffed out his chest a little in pride: he actually understood half of that, thanks to his crash course in geography the night before. 'Keh. He should get out more.'

George sounded like he was repeating what InuYasha had said, and Darren laughed again.

Darren was an enormously large man, with short, brown hair, tanned, a square jawline, and a barrel chest, this was obviously a man who worked out.

Steve, however, was short and wirey, he was almost the same height as Kagome, had pale blonde hair, green eyes, a pale complexion, and was such a startling contrast to Darren it was strange that they could be friends.

'Alright then, Kagome _mon chérie_, are you going or are you staying?' George asked, and InuYasha decided to let it slide, considering he had no idea what the man said.

'I'll stay, I'm InuYasha's ride home.' She said, moving over and sitting on the chair by the door, where the desk area was in the wide room.

Steve said something then, and Darren snorted. 'He said, "I'll bet you are".' Darren supplied.

Kagome flushed a deep red, but InuYasha frowned.

'Never mind, you two.' George said, turning to face his friends. 'Come on, we have to get the monkey suits on. InuYasha, let's get you in yours, so whats-his-name the fitter can get any alterations done.'

InuYasha glanced so fast at Kagome that others missed it. 'Fine.' He said.

Kagome reached into her handbag from her point and pulled out an old-looking mp3 player and a pair of headphones, with the obvious intent on using them.

The fitter, clearly finished with Steve, bustled over and handed InuYasha something black and hung on a clothes-hook, then hurried him into one of the changing rooms. 'Get changed into that!' The fitter said shortly. 'Then we'll have to see what changes we should make.' He rather unceremoniously stuffed InuYasha into the fitting room.

'So, InuYasha,' George said converationally as he did up his cuffs in the floor-length mirror. 'Are you a halfie?'

The freezing temperature seemed to permeate the air around the fitting room.

Kagome, however, had started so badly she nearly fell off her chair as she was putting in her headphones. 'Oh,' she laughed nervously, 'yeah. His father was from northern europe, but we don't really know where.'

Darren laughed. 'I get that,' he said. 'No one knows where me ma was from, she moved around so much. She just says she's british, just like me pa, just to keep things simple.'

'Half-ie?' Steve stumbled over the new word.

'You know, someone with a parent from another country.' Darren said. 'Tends to make 'em look a little different to normal people.'

Steve frowned at him for a moment, but then understanding clearly struck him. 'Oh.'

'You know, InuYasha, it was a good thing you could stand in for us,' George continued, 'I really owe you one there. Nick's terribly disappointed, but the doctors say he'll be able to make it after all, but they're not letting him stand, so he'll just sit next to my parents. Anyway, I'll have to buy you a beer to make up for it.'

'Thanks.' Came the voice back a little darkly.

'And you'll definately have to come to my stag night, so keep your calander open three days before the wedding.' George said resolutely. 'It'll be great!'

Steve said something, and Darren turned to look at him, responding, with a broad grin on his face.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes as George joined in, smiling and gesturing wildly, and Steve pulled on the white shirt that the fitter handed to him, until Darren headed over to the changing room InuYasha was in.

'You alright in there?' He said, tapping on the door.

'I'm, fine.' Came the rather short response.

Darren shook his head and barged his way in, ignoring InuYasha's startled oath.

'You should seriously think about getting a haircut, you know.' Darren's voice said, 'you're looking a little shaggy.'

'Hey! Watch it!' Came InuYasha's responses.

'You don't fit in there, Darren!' George said, laughing.

Kagome, however, was looking on in concern.

It wasn't thirty seconds later that InuYasha stumbled out, his ears plastered to his head and obviously not looking happy, however dressed to the nine with a dark suit on, his subjugation beads tucked tidily under his collar and behind his tie, which was black, with four dark blue pinstripes crossing diagonally down it.

Despite his bare feet and bad attitude, Kagome's mouth had fallen open as she eyed him up, her hands half raised as if she was about to get out of her chair, it was obvious she was holding herself back.

'Well don't you look smart!' George said, passing him the ridiculous-looking top-hat. 'Wouldn't you say so, fellows?'

'You betcha!' Darren said as he emerged.

'Yes.' Steve said woodenly, but he nodded warmly.

'Keh.' InuYasha said as he dove back inside momentarily to retrieve his cap, which caused Darren to laugh again.

'I don't know what you're so happy about, Darren, you're next.' George said, waving another tux-on-a-hook at his friend, who immediately sobered up.

'Seriously?'

'Yup. Here you go.' He said, pressing the outfit into his friends unwilling hands.

Darren sighed, as the fitter approached InuYasha.

'How does it feel?' He said, as he pulled the hanyou over to the mirrors.

'Keh.'

'It's not too tight anywhere?'

'No.' InuYasha visibly paled when he saw himself, then flushed red, hauling the jacket off. 'I look ridiculous!' He exclaimed, tossing the jacket at the fitter, then started struggling with his cuffs.

'No, don't!' George said, 'you look great in a suit. I'll admit, the hats are a bit much,' he turned his top hat over in his hands, 'but it wasn't my idea, and you'd only have to wear it for the ceremony itself.' He strode over to where Kagome was still seated in her half-stupor, thankfully she'd had the sense to shut her mouth. 'Kagome, don't you think he looks great in a suit?'

Kagome opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish before words came out. 'Yes, you look, great.'

He patted her fondly on the shoulder, before turning his attention back to InuYasha. 'See? You'd trust her opinion, right? So you'll be fine.'

InuYasha, soundly out matched, looked defeated, but still indignant. 'Keh.' He gave up on his cuffs and crossed his arms.

The fitter, without looking at him, forced the jacket back into his hands as he checked the shirt over for tight- or looseness.

'George,' came Darren's voice, 'if you weren't my friend, I may have to hate you.'

'Are you alright in there?' George said good-naturedly, but then Darren emerged, in an outfit that was clearly far too small for him.

'The monkey suit's too small!' Darren complained.

Th buttons across his chest were clearly straining, even having the top three undone, as the clearly couldn't possibly fit around his neck, and his skeeves and pant legs were so tight that his limbs were forced to stick out comically.

The fitter suddenly went very pale. 'I'll get you the next size up!' He said, abandoning InuYasha and disappearing into the back area.

'Do us all a favour and get three sizes up!' Darren replied, shrugging out of his jacket and pulling his shirt off with surprising smoothness.

George was trying his hardest not to laugh, and InuYasha grinned at the hulking man.

'I suppose it is funny,' Darren admitted, a broad smile appearing on his lips, 'how on earth did I manage to stuff myself into this thing?'

'Here you are, sir,' the fitter said, appearing with what appeared to be a black tent draped over his arm.

'_Thank_ you.' Darren said, before disappearing back into the too-small-for-him changing room.

* * *

**Hey all, just thought I might explain the "northern europe" thing to those who got a little lost. Those with Scandinavian, Dutch or Finnish (or their surrounding countries) heratige with usually have very fair hair and blue eyes, to catch all the sunlight that they can (for vitamin D and the like) for the very short times that there actually IS sunlight there. Kagome's just basically swept InuYasha's hair and eyes under the carpet of "halfie" aka bi-racial as we saw in the anime.  
**

**Sorry to anyone who saw that as obvious, I just thoughtt I'd point it out.  
**

**Anyway, thanks to nycorral, as usual :3 and also AwesomePerson, who lives up to their username! you're right about the language, it doesn't make a lot f sense sometimes (even to those of us that has it as our first language!). **

**So please review!**


	31. Ice Cream

'InuYasha, it was great meeting you,' George was saying shaking his hand warmly, 'I'll definately invite you to my stag night. Thank you so much for filling in for Nick, I don't know what we would do without you.'

They were standing outside the shop in the late afternoon, about to go their seperate ways, and all were in their regular clothes.

'Take care,' Darren patted him on the back in a fairly solid attempt of knocking him over, 'see you thursday.'

'Good-bye, InuYasha-san, Higurashi-san,' Steve said, bowing slightly.

'See you thursday,' Kagome said, waving at them, before they parted ways. 'Was that so painful?' She addressed the hanyou.

'Yes.' InuYasha said shortly.

'They liked you.' Kagome commented.

'I noticed.'

She raised an eyebrow at him. 'Well, what did you think of them?'

'They were fine. Why did they think I was in a gang?'

'Oh, well, in this time, some people give themselves a name that has "-Yasha" on the end because they want to sound tougher to other gang members. You know, because it means "demon"?'

InuYasha snorted. 'That's ridiculous.'

Kagome chuckled a little at his reaction, then paused, scuffing her feet a little. 'You know, I really liked the way you looked in that suit,' she said hesitantly, lacing her fingers together and biting her lip, turning red and looking away.

'Keh.' He glanced sideways at her, turning a little red, suddenly noticed how adorable she looked, and let out an exasperated breath, ignoring the need to kiss her. 'So where are you taking me now?'

'Oh! That's right, I was going to surprise you, wasn't I?' Kagome said, suddenly remembering.

'You forgot?' He said incrediously.

'Well,' she looked away, embarrased, 'I was a little, distracted.'

InuYasha sighed, facepalming a little.

'Don't worry, you reminded me!' She said, as she lengthened her stride slightly, releasing her hands.

He facepalmed a lot that time, but let his hand swing into hers, and held it resolutely.

They walked for a good ten minutes after that, only taking a couple of corners through the busy streets of Tokyo, where lights flashed and sounds played to lure many the unsuspecting customer, until they were standing outside a quiet little ice creamery, with a sunday painted onto its solitary window, and three tables and chairs set up outside, one of which was occupied by a small child and who must have been their mother.

'What's this?' InuYasha asked, looking around at the daunting sight.

'Just trust me.' Kagome replied, pulling him inside through the open door, and a bell jingled merrily somewhere, where InuYasha discovered himself to be standing in front of a selection of something cold, and very sweet-smelling.

He pressed his nose up against the glass, his breath fogging it up slightly, staring at them, barely noticing Kagome interact with the portly woman behind the counter.

The woman retrieved an odd looking glass from out of sight and proceeded to scoop in some of the white, sweet-smelling stuff until the cup was nearly full, then poured on something brown, and was reaching for a tub of somethings that were light and fluffy-looking before Kagome interjected something, so the woman instead covered the whole thing liberally in something vaugely nutty, before sticking a spoon in the whole thing and setting it on the counter.

'There you go,' the woman said, before turing back and quickly and proffesionally scooping the sort of green coloured stuff with brown scattered through it into a cone-shaped thing, stuck something brown and biscuit-looking in it, wrapped a napkin around the cone, and handed it to Kagome.

'Thank you.' Kagome said, before turning to InuYasha. 'Either you're going to have to grab that, or am I?' She asked him, shaking the hand that he still held.

He turned red, grumbling a little, but seized the glass and allowed himself to be pulled over to one of the tables. 'What is this?'

'It's ice cream.' Kagome said, taking a bite of her choc-mint scoop and sitting down, releasing his hand. 'An ice cream sunday.' She clarified.

He looked at her suspiciously, before sitting down opposite her moodily and removing the spoon from his concoction.

'Just try it.' She said, taking another bite of her cone.

He stuck his spoon back in, scooped off a section and stuck it in his mouth, only to be a little overwhelmed by the sweetness of it, and the sudden temperature drop that radiated through his teeth, he swallowed quickly.

'It's cold!'

'Well, clearly. What do you think?'

Kagome's question was ignored, however silently answered in the speed that two of the three scoops were inhaled, and the prompt and agonized face that InuYasha pulled immediatly after said inhalation, clutching at his temples.

'What's the matter?'

'This stuff is making my head hurt!'

Kagome smiled. 'That's called a "brain freeze", because that's exactly what it feels like. It's because you ate too quickly.'

InuYasha muttered darkly, without responding.

'It should clear up in a second.'

And as if in response to her words, it faded, quickly as it had arrived, and he straightened.

'See?'

'Keh.' InuYasha responded, turning back to his sunday, but pacing himself this time, and he glanced at her half-finished cone. 'Why's yours green?'

'Because it's got a different flavour. Yours is vanilla, mine is chocolate mint.'

'It's what?'

She offered some to him. 'You can try some if you like.'

He frowned at her, gazing at the offending cone, before sliding his out of the way and setting down his spoon on the table.

He pulled her hand and the cone towards him, noticing the smooth-looking texture of the ice cream and the clearly crunched-upon cone, so he took a bite from the side, taking cone and mint with him, before releasing her.

'That one's even colder!'

'Well, it only tastes colder because of the mint.' She said, crunching on the flake she had been saving.

'What's mint?'

'It's a, flavour?' She paused, 'I'm not really sure? I think it comes from a plant.' She shrugged and licked her mint ice cream.

He turned a little red, suddenly noticing her tongue tracing over were he had bitten, and forced his attention back to his own, picking up the cherry between his claws.

'This is a berry of some kind?' He asked.

'Yep, it's a cherry. Be careful, there's a seed inside.' She warned.

He broke off the stem and bit the cherry, discovering there was in fact a seed inside, that he plucked out, and promptly ate the rest of it, returning to the demolition of his sunday, resulting in another swift and painful freeze.

'I told you to slow down,' Kagome said a little smugly. finishing her flake, before turning her attention to the window outside, and the dying light that was streaming in.

'Keh.' He said as he straightened again, releasing his head. 'Aren't you finished yet?'

She popped the tip of the cone in her mouth and nodded, looking back around at him, before sighing a little, and picking up her napkin.

'What?'

Still crunching on her cone, she reached over and rubbed the end of his nose with said napkin, much to his discomfort, then pulled back to reveal a white smudge that was not there before, before swallowing noisily. 'You had ice cream on your nose.'

He turned red and looked away.

'I would bring back ice cream, it's just it takes me a while to get from the well to Kaedes, and by that time it would melt.' She sighed, before standing. 'Come on, we should probably get home.'

* * *

**Aww, a little date for them, how cute :3 .  
**

**So my InuYasha Final Act Part II DVD's came on friday, and I'm so excited! I watched it all in one sitting, and I loved the ending! (No spoilers to anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but I really recommend Amazon to those of us who can't just pop down to their local Anime store without being charged an extra fifty! I bought mine for just under thirty pre-ordered including postage, and I just had to wait the two weeks after the release date.)**

**Anyway, I hope you all get the chance to watch it, I really loved how they (the animators) managed to get everything that happened in the manga from the final fight scene (again, no spoilers!) into the anime, as well as clearing up a few things that were hinted at but not actually mentioned in the manga. But don't stop reading fanfictions! :P Don't you want to see how this story ends? This one's completely different to the original (as you've guessed so far, Inu-chan and Kagome are already a couple), and I have my own fight scene that moves along completely different routes (again, no spoilers!).**

**Also, for the record, when InuYasha came out of the change-room in he previous chapter, as he does when he's irritated his ears were laying flat, and let's face it, the attention wasn't exactly drawn towards his hairline. We'll just pretend one wouldn't have noticed them unless one was looking for them, and it's why he disappeared back inside to grab his cap.**

**And another thing (last one, I promise!), I just want to advertise my short story I wrote during the course of last week called Rain, and warning, it's a tear-jerker. s/9074107/1/ , to those of you who are confused, just copy/paste that into your browser address bar straight after . **

**Please review!**


	32. Rehearsal

Kagome had taken the afternoon off from school, and was currently standing in the lobby of a church two days later in her school uniform.

'Okay,' said Tsuki, who was holding a clipboard and had a pencil tucked behind her ear. 'Hold on, hold on, what are you idiots doing down here?' She looked around at the three sheepish looking guys, and she sighed, then drew herself up. 'Erika, you're up next, Darren get your butt up there,' she gestured at the open doorway, as they stepped up the aisle together, their height difference was almost comical. 'The music will cue you,' she hesitated, then pointed when it swelled slightly, 'now. Off you go,' the two took almost painfully slow steps up the aisle, where George was standing next to a fellow dressed in white. 'Then Kagome, _InuYasha_,' she paused, waiting for the music again, '_now_,' when a flute emerged from the ensemble that was playing on a cd player. The two started their walk, their footfalls echoing above the music down the hall, that seemed strange to be empty.

'This is stupid.' InuYasha muttered under his breath to her.

'Well you agreed to this, and I'm not letting you back out now.' She peeked over her shoulder as Cara and Steve appeared behind them.

He made a disgruntled noise but otherwise and wisely kept his mouth shut.

Kagome peeked up at him and crossed her eyes. 'It is a little dull, though. How do you think Miroku and Sango are holding up?'

He said nothing, but a cloud crossed his face.

'You know, after this, George's stag night is four days away, so as long as you make it back in time for that, you can go and check on them, if you like.'

'What about you?'

'I need to catch up on my studies, like Grandpa said. But you'd probably go stir crazy, stuck here for that long. So you can take Tetsusaiga and go back, if you want to.' She glanced down at the hanyou's hip where the sword was usually placed, but for obvious reasons, was not present, nor had it been at the fitting.

He looked like he was about to say something, but they had reached the top of the three steps at the top of the aisle, and had to part ways, where InuYasha took his place next to Darren, who gave him a hearty "tap" on the shoulder, and Kagome took hers next to Erika, who was looking a little misty-eyed as she looked back down the aisle, where Tsuki was in plain sight, she had started directing with her pencil.

'Are you alright?' Kagome asked her.

'I'm fine,' she said in an unconvincing tone, 'I just can't believe it's actually happening.'

Kagome rummaged around in her pocket for a moment, and emerged with a handkerchief, which she wordlessly offered to the girl, but she waved it away.

'So are you ladies excited for the hen's party?' Cara said as she appeared next to Kagome.

Erika looked around, brightening considerably. 'Of course!'

'What's being planned?' Kagome asked, looking a little worried.

'Oh, don't worry about it,' Cara replied. 'Nothing too serious, I've got it all planned out.'

Erika rolled her eyes. 'I have yet to find a time when you said there's nothing to worry about, and there really wasn't any reason to worry.'

'Oh, there's been plenty of times.' Cara waved her accusations away.

'Oh really? Why don't you tell Kagome here about the happy couple's engagement party?' Erika said, grinning smugly, wrapping an arm around Kagome.

'That was a complete accident, and you know it.' Cara shot back darkly.

'What happened?' Kagome asked curiously.

'Yeah, Cara, tell us what happened.' Erika prodded.

'I ordered a clown to come in to entertain the children while the parents, I mean, the guests could enjoy their sit-down dinner.'

'And who came instead?'

Cara hung her head. 'A male stripper.' She admitted.

Erika looked like she was going to wet herself laughing of the horrifying memories, and Kagome turned beet red.

'Speaking of male strippers, are we planning on surprising Tsuki? Because she was awfully surprised last time.' Erika finally managed, and set herself off again laughing, earning a dirty look from the minister.

'No!' Cara said, looking indignant.

'Well, what are you planning?'

'You'll see. I was extra careful to get the phone numbers right so I actually called the right company. _And_ I double checked when I called.'

'_Please_ tell me you're ordering her a clown; that would make my day.'

'No, I certainly am not.'

Kagome felt eyes on her, and she looked around, to see InuYasha was giving her a curious look.

She shot back an _I'm-not-really-sure-either_ look, shrugging a little.

It was obvious the two men on either side of him were having a conversation in undertones, but the look on InuYasha's face said that they were speaking english, due to the shortest of the three's lack of japanese speaking knowledge.

'Hey, Kagome,' Cara said next to her, starting her ever so slightly, and she looked around, to see the girl pulling a desperate look, clearly keen to change the subject. 'Are you seriously going out with a stud like that?'

'Well, yeah.' Kagome replied, glancing back at the hanyou, who was frowning slightly.

'What's up with his hair? And his eyes?' Erika asked, as Cara sighed a little, content that her friend had gone with the switch.

'He's bi-racial.' Kagome said, growing slightly defensive.

'What, you got a problem with that?' Cara responded, looking rather decidedly at Erika. 'Couldn't you imagine having those smoldering babies look at you?'

Kagome knew them rather intimately, and to be honest, it made her go a little weak at the knees.

'Well, I suppose,' Erika replied, touching her chin and looking over at him, 'They're just not a very normal colour. Are they seriously natural?'

'Yes.' Kagome responded. 'They're the colour he was born with.'

'Well that's unusual, I haven't heard of yellow eyes before.'

'_Golden._' Kagome corrected her automatically, before turning red.

Cara continued her train of thought, however. 'Erika, _golden_. Yellow just sounds so, dull.'

'And what's with his clothes? Was he born in the muromachi period?'

Kagome very nearly had to laugh, but somehow managed to cover it with a serious face. 'No, his family's just, very old-fashioned. That's the kind of stuff they just generally wear.' _Well, Sesshoumaru does anyway_.

'Poor him. You know, you could nearly see him in the early feudal era, sword in hand, defending some castle, am I right?' Cara was looking a little far away.

'Cara?' Erika said. 'Hey, Cara? Remember? He's already taken.'

Kagome nodded vigorously, she could feel her eyes turning steely.

'You're right,' Cara raised her hands in defeat, smiling grimly, 'I'm sorry. I've just got a thing for the unsual.'

'Don't we know it.' Erika said, almost facepalming.

'And that'll just about do it!' Said the minister in a loud voice, cutting across the scattered conversations in the church, and shutting his book with a snap that echoed off the ceiling.

Tsuki turned to the girls behind her. 'I can't believe this is actually happening!' She said in an excited tone.

'I know!' Erika said, brightening significantly. 'That engagement party seems like it was only yesterday!'

Tsuki laughed, shooting the flaming-faced Cara a fond look.

'Just to make sure the guys stay out, the hen party's on the same night as the stag night.' Cara said to Kagome.

'Ooh, look out, Cara dear, look who's coming,' Erika nudged her friend, and Kagome looked around, to see InuYasha himself approaching, frowning slightly, sparing only a glance at the two girls.

'Can we go now?' He asked, looking a little exasperated.

'Sure.' Kagome responded warmly, before looking at the other girls. 'Sorry,' she said, before following InuYasha back down the aisle, passing Tsuki's misty-eyed mother.

'Are you alright, InuYasha?' She asked, speeding up a little to walk next to him.

'That short guy's getting on my nerves.' He said darkly as they swept through the large wooden doors.

'He didn't seem that bad.'

'He's even worse than that lecherous monk. I nearly hammered him.' He freely admitted.

'What?'

He gave her a long look. 'Kagome, why is everyone in your time so freely asking questions?'

'What do you mean?'

He turned a bright, flaming red, crossing his arms, and turning his face away. 'I mean, questions about,' he shook his head, 'forget it.' He dismissed.

Kagome, however, turned a similar shade. 'Oh. Those kind of questions.'

He said nothing, just continued walking as they stepped into the dazzling sunshine outside.

'Don't let them bother you.' Kagome responded, raising an arm to protect her eyes against the light. 'It sort of makes you look at Miroku in a whole new light, eh?'

InuYasha continued his stony silence as they started down the stone stairs that preceded the church.

* * *

**So, a long chapter for you all :) . **

**To those who aren't history nuts, the Muromachi period is the two hundred or so years before the sengoku jidai, aka the warring states period that is when InuYasha was actually around, so Cara was scarily close (since we're not precisely sure when InuYasha was around, but the guess is around 1550-65 ish, considering the comments given in the anime about historical points, but I digress).**

**So anyway, to anyone who's worried about the cheese levels, we're halfway through this story arc, and from around here on in it gets easier (no need to turn lactose intolerant on me!).**

**I love the character of Darren! He's so down to earth and funny, with such a "just a guy" outlook on life. You all wait until we hear a bit more about him a bit later, you'll love him as much as I do.**

**Thanks as usual to nycorral and Little C, glad someone else loved FA pt II like I did!**

**Anyway, must fly, so please review!**


	33. Bento

'So what sort of _favour_ was it?' Miroku asked, wiggling his eyebrows at the hanyou as he entered the wooden hutt.

'Nothing.' InuYasha replied, looking disgruntled. 'Here.' He said negligently, setting the box he carried with him on the woodwork next to the fire pit.

It was roughly square-shaped, and was wrapped tightly in a large, dark green cloth, whose knot served as a handle.

'What is it?' Sango asked, unwrapping it carefully.

'Present. From Kagome.'

Shippou leapt forward, his curiosity aroused, to discover the box was a large bento, filled to the brim with food. 'Oh awesome!'

Miroku still was giving sly looks to InuYasha. 'So where _is_ Kagome?'

'She's back in her time, studying.'

'Oh? I thought you were going to get her.'

InuYasha hung his head in defeat, suddenly looking very tired. 'No.' He said, waving the monk away and reaching for a riceball. 'Did anything happen while I was away?'

'Aa eemom fied to aapapt ve viwwive,' Shippou started, his mouth stuffed to bursting point, but caught the look InuYasha sent him, and swallowed enormously, then retried. 'A demon tried to attack the village, but Sango took it out before it could do any real damage.'

Sango shrugged, her mouth also, but not quite so full.

'Why?'

'It was just passing through and feeling peckish.' Miroku said. 'Another demon fleeing the east?' He turned the last of that sentence into a rhetorical question.

'Something is happening over there.' InuYasha stated the obvious. 'And I don't like it.'

'Oh, you don't like anything.' Shippou retaliated, but regretted it immediately as a lump mysteriously appeared upon his head. 'Ow ow ow,'

'Keh.'

'No, no,' Miroku interjected, and InuYasha looked at him. 'That's not true.'

'What do you mean?' Shippou asked.

Miroku's innocent look turned sly. 'You see, the last-hey!'

Not one, but two lumps appeared, one on top of the other, and had appeared so fast that it seemed that InuYasha did not move.

'Shut up, Miroku.'

'You didn't have to hit me twice, you know. I was only teasing.' Miroku complained, rubbing his head. 'What are you so touchy about?'

'Nothing.' InuYasha said, standing, 'forget it.' He disappeared through the door outside, and Shippou started on the food with renewed enthusiasm.

'More for us!' He said, but then flinched as InuYasha appeared again, who approached the tyke, who hid, as the hanyou swiped the second, as yet untouched layer of food out, and disappeared out the door again.

InuYasha leapt up and landed as lightly as he could on the roof of the building, before setting down the tray of food and stretching to his full extent, listening to some of his joints pop, then sat down.

All this business about weddings was setting InuYasha's teeth on edge; he wasn't particularly excited about listening to the bespectacled guy blather on and on about the short-haired girl Kagome had been talking to.

Although the tall one, Darren, seemed to be pretty good-natured about the whole thing, but InuYasha didn't mind him, he seemed to be able to look after himself.

He picked up a riceball and bit into it, tuning out the fox tykes complaining he could quite clearly hear underneath him, as he examined the starry night sky.

The groom, however, vaguely irritated InuYasha, his sappiness and general attitude towards the whole thing made the hanyou a little nauseous.

_And seriously, what the hell was that short guy talking about?_ InuYasha shook his head, turning red and resigning the man to insanity. _Kagome's, it's just,_ He shied away from that thought, turning his next morsel over in his hands. _It's complicated. Anyway, it's not like he can talk, pining after that Cara girl. Darren was right._ His thoughts played over the gentle teasing the tall man had done at the rehearsal that day. _What a wimp._

He shifted a pebble that would have otherwise dug into him and lay down, stretched along the timbers, ignoring the comforting feeling of having the Tetsusaiga present once again at his hip, instead opting to think about the conversation he had overheard, and questioned about, later.

_'Hey, Kagome?' He asked her as they flew over the streets of Tokyo in the bright afternoon. 'What's a "stud"?'_

_He barely had to look to see she had turned bright red. 'You heard that?'_

_'Hard not to.'_

_'Oh. Well,' He could practically feel the heat radiating off of her. 'It's, a guy, who, well, um,' she paused, thinking it over, 'you know, it's like, what Miroku wants to be, an, attractive guy who can, get, any girl he, wants.' She managed out, before burying her burning face in the back of his neck._

_InuYasha snorted at that explanation, but then frowned, turning a little red himself. 'You think I'm someone like that?'_

_'Uh, well, you're not, altogether, unfortunate looking,' she said in a small voice, before changing the subject._

InuYasha frowned. _Girls are crazy._ He dismissed, shaking his head exasperatedly, his thoughts turning to the girls discussion, particularly about his own features, and the faces Kagome had been pulling as the long-haired girl had gone over him with a fine-toothed comb. Honestly, he didn't see what the big deal was to have yellow eyes as he had. _'Golden.'_ Kagome had corrected the girl, and InuYasha wasn't altogether opposed to it.

_Gold, huh._ He thought, chewing absentmindedly on some sashimi. _I'd never really thought about it._ He paused. _About them being anything other than yellow._ He amended, however he shut his eyes, and forced the thoughts that rose unbidden to the surface back into the box where they belonged. _Now's not the time to get all mushy about the past. It's happened, it's gone, get over it._ He thought distastefully, rolling onto his side. _I'm happy now, that's all that matters._ He hesitated, shocked that he himself would think such a thing. _Well, I suppose it's true,_ he admitted, however only privately to himself, _I'm not unhappy, so that would make me happy, wouldn't it?_ He sighed slightly. _Now I'm just confusing myself. But I'm happy._

* * *

**Aww, InuYasha's so cute...**

**So is everyone keen for the easter weekend? I know I'm having fun, I'm pretty sure I've already eaten my weight in hot cross buns (the extra weight will be future me's problem :3 ). **

**Thanks for all the story favourites I'm suddenly being drowned in, I feel special :) and thanks as usual to nycorrall, yes, _everyone_'s badgering InuYasha, the poor puppy :P . He just can't catch a break.**

**Please review!**


	34. Hesitation

Three days passed moderately quietly, InuYasha had to dispatch two more demons, however upon hammering the living daylights out of one, all it had said was that its instincts were telling it to leave, as soon as possible, before somehow managing to escape InuYasha's death grip on the scruff of his neck and fled for its life, and the other simply said nothing, opting for death over speech.

This was putting InuYasha in a thoroughly bad mood, his eagerness to get moving again was almost unsettling, until the third day rolled around, and he knew he had to go back to Kagome's time.

At least, when he was here, he could go and break something in his irritation, but no, if he wasn't in Kagome's time by sundown, she would sit him through the floor, so a full hour before sunset, he found himself standing at the lip of the well, where he leapt through, hitting not the bottom, but sailing through the purple and blue waves of time for a long moment, before landing lightly on the solid ground of the same well, only five hundred years later.

He leapt out, and made his way up and out of the well house, crossed the courtyard under the sacred tree, and easily leapt up to Kagome's window, which he slid open, making the girl start so badly she nearly fell off of her chair, dropping her book.

'What are you so surprised about, you knew I was coming.' InuYasha said shortly.

'I know, you just, startled me.' The girl replied, placing a hand on her chest, as if to restart her heart.

'Fine, whatever, can we get this done already?' He _did_ feel a little calmer, after seeing her, though.

'Sure,' She looked at him. 'What did the others think of my bento?'

He shrugged. 'It was alright.'

She raised a dry eyebrow at him, but said nothing more on the subject. 'Is everyone alright over there?'

'They're fine.' He rounded on her, however. 'How the hell does listening to that short guy put Miroku in a new light? Miroku's still a pain in the ass.'

'Never mind, then. Try not to beat him up too much, alright?' She smiled gently.

'Keh.' He crossed his arms, flushing a little.

She sighed slightly, giving him a fond look.

'What's that for?'

'Nothing, nothing.' She said, shaking her hands at him, taking a step back.

'If you've got something to say, then don't hold back.' He said, crossing his arms.

'Don't worry about it.' She obviously remembered something then, the thought turning her red, and she frowned slightly. 'Um, InuYasha?'

'What?' He was getting thoroughly confused now, the workings of this girl was clearly far too deep and murky for him to begin to decipher.

'I don't know what those guys have planned, but,' she hesitated, 'I give you full permission to leave, if you want to.'

'I don't want to go.' He responded, a cloud crossing his face.

'I know, but they'll be terribly disappointed if you don't.'

'Keh.'

Kagome was looking conflicted, she didn't want him to go either, she was also at a slight loss for words under his intense gaze that never failed to make her knees wobbly.

'If you don't want to go, just tell them you're sick.' Came a voice from by the door, scaring them both.

Souta had his head stuck through the door, a chip stuck in his mouth. 'Don't you do that for school, Onee-chan?'

'Well, this is a different thing.' Kagome said, attempting to once again restart her heart.

'But you said earlier that you didn't want InuYasha to go.'

Kagome turned a deep red as InuYasha looked at her. 'Souta!'

'Isn't that right? So just tell Mister George that InuYasha got sick.'

InuYasha looked highly affronted. 'I don't get sick.' He said shortly.

Kagome gave him a long look, before turning her attention back to Souta. 'Well,' she said, still torn.

'But I'm still not going.' InuYasha said, looking at her.

'Plus, Onee-chan, you have school tomorrow.'

'Fine.' She said, shaking her head. 'Fine. I'll have to go and call them.' She drew herself up a little, and proceeded to stride from the room, with InuYasha hot on her heels as she made her way down the hallway and hurried down the stairs, then over to where the phone resided in the lounge room.

She picked up the receiver and raised the other hand that had written a series of digits scrawled down the side, then dialed.

InuYasha had given up on regarding these sorts of things with suspicion, however he did watch her as she twirled the cord connecting the handset to the phone through her fingers as she waited, before starting slightly.

'Hello?' She said, her face not clearing as she heard the response. 'Is that you, Tsuki?' She paused. 'It's Kagome here, look, uh, is George still there?' Another hesitation. 'Great. Um, it's just that, InuYasha and I won't be able to make it out tonight. I know,' as the girl had obviously reacted badly, 'it's just, hold on,' Kagome seemed to be just trying to get a word in edgewise. 'Wait! It's not that, it's just, um, I got sick,' she paused to cough theatrically, 'and, I accidentally gave it to InuYasha,' she ignored his indignant look, 'so we can't make it.' More coughing. 'I'm sorry, but if we rest now, we'll be fine for the wedding. Sorry about that!'

There must have been a positive response on the other end, because Kagome sighed in relief, but dutifully coughed. 'I'll see you Friday. Goodbye, bye!' She confirmed, before replacing the receiver, then hung her head a little. 'I hope they're not too upset.' She said.

'I'm sure they'll manage.' Souta said firmly.

* * *

**So, my immediate thought was InuYasha, and strippers, and went, _well_. I don't think he's quite up for the shock of that (especially modern day ones). I just didn't have the heart to put him through it, so we'll have a "normal" night at the Higurashi residence (as normal as the Higurashi residence plus InuYasha can be).  
**

**Laughs will ensue, I promise!**

**Please review!**


	35. Home Cooked Meal

'So you two aren't going?' Kagome's mother said as she set the cream-coloured dish on the wooden table, steam rising from the covered dish in almost seductive spirals.

'Yeah,' Kagome sighed, 'I have school tomorrow, and I really don't know what the girls were planning, so I just wanted to play it safe.'

'It's not like I know those guys that well anyway.' InuYasha said shortly to the dish as the lid was removed, revealing a hot pot.

'Exactly what I was saying, Kagome.' Her grandfater said, gesturing at her with his spoon. 'You need to focus more on your studies, instead of going out with friends on a schoolnight.'

'It's lucky I made so much tonight,' Mrs Higurashi said, sitting down with a large serving-spoon in hand. 'I'd hate to think what would happen otherwise.' She smiled, then reaching for her fathers bowl to serve into.

'Mom, can I have a camera for the wedding?' Souta asked after watching her serve for a moment.

'That's a great idea, I'll get us a disposable one tomorrow.' His mother replied, reaching for his bowl. 'Kagome, dear, do you know what time you'll be picked up tomorrow?'

'Straight afterschool.' Kagome responded. 'I'm almost finished packing now, I've nearly gotten everything I need.'

'It's great the wedding's on a Saturday, it means I can stay up late!' Souta said excitedly.

'Not _too_ late, young man,' his grandfather said shortly, 'you're still a growing boy who needs plenty of sleep.'

'Aw, grandpa, seriously?'

'Of course. Wedding or not, you can't go out partying all hours of the night. You're still in the third grade, in case you've gotten too big for your britches.'

'Grandpa!' Souta said shockedly.

'Why, back when I was your age,' he had started on his meal somehow, slipping in bites seamlessly between words, despite the fact that no one was listening to him. 'We were always in bed by sundown, no excuses, no matter how old we were...'

Souta was already starting to get a glassey-eyed look, and turned his attention to his meal, heartily digging in, with InuYasha following suit as he was served.

'Kagome, how are your studies coming along?' Her mother asked.

'Less stressful than usual, I've had longer here to catch up, as well as I've gotten several assignments done that I normally wouldn't have been able to.'

'That's right, you've been in this time a lot longer than normal.' Souta said over the top of his grandfather.

'Not that it bothers us at all,' their mother said, 'it's just good to have you home.' She smiled.

'Hey InuYasha, are you seriously going to wear a suit to the wedding?' Souta asked the hanyou. 'I seriously can't picture you in anything but your outfit that you're wearing now.'

'Yes.' He said dejectedly. 'All of this is bordering on ridiculous. Why can't they just keep it simple?'

'Because, they wanted to do all of the traditions that follow doing a western wedding.' Souta responded.

InuYasha shook his head. 'It's stupid.'

'Well I think it's sweet, how they came back specifically so she could be with her family, and they still had the wedding in his style.' Kagome said, pushing a piece of celery around her bowl.

He frowned at her, turning ever so slightly pale. 'You seriously like all of this mess? There's way too much to do for any normal pair of humans.'

'Well, I do like western weddings, the bride always looks so beautiful in her gown.'

'Didn't you say you were wearing one too?'

'Well, yes, but Tsuki will look the best. It's her day, she's allowed to.'

'InuYasha, why don't, tomorrow night, I go and get your outfit when I get Souta's?' Mrs Higurashi offered. 'I can get two birds with one stone, that way.'

'Fine.' He said, setting down his empty bowl, obviously suddenly a little distracted.

'Souta, are you ready for that test tomorrow? You said it was pretty big.' Kagome asked him, and he turned red.

'Yeah, I've studied, but it's a really hard topic.' The boy grumbled. 'Can we talk about something else? I'm trying not to think about it too much.'

'So what are you wearing to the wedding?' Kagome asked her mother.

Souta looked at InuYasha, and crossed his eyes.

'I was going to wear my white dress, it's been warm here these last few weeks, which has been nice, so hopefully that'll stay the same right up until the wedding.'

Kagome smiled. 'Really? It's been cold where we've been,' she glanced sideways at InuYasha. 'It's even snowed a couple of times.'

'Really? That's a little early for this time of year. Hold on, is it this time of year back then?'

Kagome paused. 'It's about the same, I think, but I can't figure out a way to be sure.'

'No, but it's only a couple of days out.' InuYasha said.

'How can you tell?' Kagome asked him.

'The moon phases are slightly different. Back then it's only one day past half-moon, but here it's four. The moon positioning is the same, though, so it's nearly the same.' He said seriously.

'Wow, you must know a lot about the moon, InuYasha.' Souta said admiringly.

'Don't get all mushy about it.' InuYasha said shortly to the boy.

'Have you been studying it?' The boy's grandfather asked, finally having caught on that nobody was listening to him.

'No, just watching, for a long time.' He caught the long look that Kagome had sent him.

Kagome knew why he watched so intently, he would always be watching for how far away the new moon was, and when his life may be in danger next.

'That's so cool,' Souta continued.

'Keh.'

* * *

**Hey guys, don't have a lot of time (again, I'm super busy!), so this'll be super quick. InuYasha's a little terrorfied! Haha, the poor puppy, he's getting a little dragged along into everything.  
**

**Thanks Nycorrall and Katieykat, hope you liked this one too :3**

**Please review!  
**


	36. Brotherly Talk

InuYasha was trudging his way up the stairs, his hands in his sleeves, still a little out of sorts after the evening meal, when he felt a tugging at his sleeve.

'Hey, InuYasha? Can I talk to you?' said a voice from by his elbow, and he hesitated, looking down.

Souta was looking troubled, and InuYasha paused. 'Fine.' He said, turning to face him.

'Good.' Souta replied, then headed back down the stairs, through the house, and through the back door and into the warm evening.

They stepped outside, and sat down on the back step, Souta was looking decidedly uncomfortable.

'What do you want to talk about?' InuYasha asked him, a true example of the tact that this hanyou possessed.

'Well,' Souta laced his fingers in his lap, looking away. 'I just wanted to ask you something.'

InuYasha said nothing, however he watched the boy carefully.

'Um,' Souta started, clearly looking uncomfortable. 'It's just, well,'

'Spit it out,' InuYasha said shortly.

'It's just this time,' he said looking back around, 'there's something different.'

'What are you talking about?'

'I mean, this time that Onee-chan's come back, she's really distracted. And there's something that's bothering you, but I can't figure out what it is.'

InuYasha frowned at the boy, but was silent.

'I just wanna know, did something happen? Was it something to do with what happened last time you came here? Are you okay, InuYasha?'

InuYasha was a little surprised as to the conclusion the boy had drawn. 'I'm fine. Nothing's wrong.'

'Oh, okay then. But something's definately happened.' Souta's gaze did not lift from its level of seriousness that defied his age, but he did blink. 'Did you tell Onee-chan?'

'Tell her what?'

'You know,' he hesitated, looking a little embarrased. 'Tell her that you love her.'

InuYasha went bright red so fast he was nearly dizzy, looking away. 'I, er,' was all he could manage.

'Or did she tell you? Because she does, you know.' Souta added, not looking the least bit embarrased.

'I, I know that.' He said in an attempt of his usual bravado.

It was Souta's turn to look surprised. 'Really? So she did tell you? Did you tell her too? Who told who first?'

InuYasha was fidgeting greatly, looking anywhere but at the boy, still the same colour as his haori.

'You did?' Souta said, then paused, looking surprised. '_You_ did?'

InuYasha made an uncomfortable noise, looking precisly like he wanted to flee.

'What happened?'

InuYasha continued his embarrased silence, decidedly both unwilling and unable to answer the boy.

'Come on, tell me,' Souta complained, tugging on his sleeve again.

'Why?' InuYasha shot.

'Because I want to know.' Souta shot back.

InuYasha pulled his sleeve free from the boy, looking thoroughly disgruntled, muttering darkly.

'Please?'

'If all you're going to do is talk nonsense, then I'm going back inside.'

'No! Don't! Just tell me!'

InuYasha stood, a little overwhelmed, muttered something about a waterfall, and fled inside, leaving Souta, looking a little stunned, and very confused.

InuYasha rushed upstairs, nearly broke Kagome's door as he barged inside, and almost slammed it shut behind him, leaning against it, grumbling darkly and profusely, crossing his arms, clearly not noticing the occupant he nearly scared the living daylights out of.

'What _are_ you doing, InuYasha?' Came a familiar voice and he looked up, to see one bright red Kagome herself, a brush halfway through her hair, and wearing nothing but a towel, still slightly damp from her bath. 'Sit!'

InuYasha spontaniously headbutted the floor, but did not look up when he could.

'What's wrong?' She asked him, removing her hairbrush from her hair and setting it down.

'You sat me.' He muttered darkly.

'Well, apart from that. You look a little upset.' She pulled on her pyjama top around her shoulders, over top of the towel, and sat down.

'Your brother wanted a, talk.' He said, looking up, but his eyes were examining the corner of her bedpost.

'Oh? What about? Not girls, hopefully. I think he learned his lesson last time.'

'N-, well, sort of,' InuYasha corrected himself, 'he was worried about you.'

'Me?' She paused. 'I don't think I've done anything to cause him to worry, have I?'

The spell released him and he sat up, but turned away, facing the door.

'No, he noticed what was going on.'

'What do you mean; "what's going on"?' Kagome said curiously.

'I mean,' he was obviously embarrassed, but her eyes went wide.

'Did he figure out,' she hesitated, 'you know, that you, well, what you asked me? The last, um, new moon?'

InuYasha turned blotchetty, his attempt to go both bone white and brick red at the same time, leaping to his feet. 'No!' He nearly exclaimed, turning to face her. 'Just, just, just that, that, uh, that I, told you, that, I, love you.' He was still thoroughly embarrassed over his far more naturally open human self, unbelieving that it would cause him to ask such an unbelievably mushy question, despite him being glad about it nonetheless.

'Oh!' She looked relieved, letting out a sigh, still turning red.

'He said you were distracted about something.' InuYasha said, looking slightly more serious. '_Is_ something wrong?'

Kagome looked a little caught out. 'Well, no, nothing all that important.'

He frowned at her, however. 'What?'

'Just something that Takara-chan said to me, and all this stuff about weddings had me thinking.'

'What did she say?'

'Uh,' She looked at him for a long moment, before she looked away, turning a darker shade or red. 'Nothing.'

He frowned at her. 'You want to,' the blotchetty-ness deepened, red winning out over white.

'Well, I,' she turned beetroot, and turned away, 'uh,'

He was looking like he itchingly wanted to start pacing, but did not. 'I thought, that,'

'That what?'

'That, well, _that_, was, uh, part of, the, deal?' He said to her doorknob.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, standing. 'Really?'

He span to face her, looking nervous.

'It's just, I wasn't,' she hesitated, then nodded. 'Sure! Yes, of course! I just, wasn't, sure.'

He grinned at her, still a deep shade of red, as she stepped over.

'I love you.' She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, and resting her head against his clavicle.

'I, love you too.' He replied, slipping his own arms around her waist, hunching over a little to rest his face against the side of her neck, but she froze instantly as his movement dislodged the corner that held her towel in place, and it seemingly sprang open under her pyjama shirt that was loosely hanging around her shoulders.

Carefully, she unpeeled herself, holding her rather bare outfit up with her hands, bright red, as InuYasha leapt back, his hands raised surrenderingly, catching only a glance at underneath before fixing his gaze at the far corner of the ceiling.

'I'll go.' InuYasha said, flaming the colour of his haori, before disappearing through the door behind them before she could say a word.

* * *

**Again, one of my favourites to write. My god, Souta is hilarious :3**

**Wedding itself is next chapter, and then some _very_ interesting events happen! No spoilers :P**

**Please review!**


	37. Big Day

InuYasha had been in the stupid, as Darren had put it; "monkey suit" for a good three and a half hours now, and he was ready to throw in the towel and break his way out of it.

To make matters worse, he was actually doing this in front of _people_, which he was finding to be an insult.

And the cherries on the cake, to add the final insult to injury, he was wearing _shoes_, and a hat so ridiculous that he was very much ready to throw to the ground and tread upon several times none too delicately.

Shoes was something he looked upon as an extreme hinderance, as moving through the trees and general feudal era was easier without them, and it grew to to the point that he found them completely in contempt.

Nonetheless, here he stood, in front of a crowd of people, in that same church, with Darren to his left, the short guy, Steve, to his right, and a white flower stuck in his jacket with a smell that was making him feel vaguely nauseous.

'Don't look so down, InuYasha,' Darren said in an undertone to him, leaning over a little. 'Before you know it, the girls'll be out, Tsuki and George will be married, and we'll all be wasted at the reception tonight.'

George was standing up the front, next to the minister, looking very pale, wringing his hands nervously, and kept twitching oddly, like he wanted to run his hands through his carefully combed hair, but would decide otherwise halfway through that thought.

Steve was looking a little sorry for himself, courtesy of the disappointed looks Darren kept shooting him.

InuYasha had discovered the promising beginning and the nighmareish end to the stag night, where Steve had planned for clubbing, and drinking, having bought VIP tickets to a respected club, however effectively ruining the evening by going against orders and hiring some young women to come and "dance for them", as Darren had delicately put it.

InuYasha tugged at his cuffs uncomfortably, irritated at the effort required not to break the stitching or the buttons that so restricted his wrists, and limiting his movement in the whole ensemble that reminded him how much he appreciated the freeness of his usual outfit.

Though heavy, it was very easy to move around in, and there was always bonus of the suit of armour included.

Just thinking about it made him want to leap through those close-knit branches of a forrest, his feet bare and his sword at his side, the gentle, earthy smell wafting through the air, the wind streaming past him, and the quiet sounds of nature around him, or, at the very least, he wanted to swing his arms in a complete circle, despite the restrictive shirts complaints.

Over in the corner of the hall behind the four men were were three women and two men , that were either seated or standing, all were wearing black, and were all (bar one, who was holding a metal flute,) either holding or seated before them was the strangest looking things InuYasha had seen in a while, all were various sizes of the same thing, which was a wooden object, that was sort-of-not-really oval shaped, with a handle sticking off of the end, with strings running down the length of it.

The largest of which was the same height as Darren, and the smallest was about the length from InuYasha's shoulder to his wrist, which was held (what seemed to be) awkwardly up against the users chin, and the strings were to be rubbed with a whole bunch of strings that almost smelt like horse hair.

He soon discovered the strange things to be musical instruments, as far as he could tell, as when the horse-hair strings were rubbed perpendicularly against the strings on the objects, noise was created, as the group adjusted the strings slightly, altering the pitch on slight levels so they aligned and made harmony with professional precision.

Looking down the aisle, he saw the wide open doors at the rear of the hall, which were large beyond both logic and practicality in his opinion, and the small rush of people that hurried this way and that for last-minute preparations, before they hurried into the back of the hall, joining the crowd that sat in the long, wooden, and uncomfortable looking seats, and a portly-looking old man leaned around the corner of one of the doors and waved.

There was a bustling behind him, and he looked around, to see the old guy in white organise (and compose) himself, then waved his book at the musicians behind InuYasha, who nodded, and struck up a grander-sounding version of the tune he had heard play at the rehearsal, and InuYasha was mildly surprised at how rich they sounded, particularly the larger ones, whose length would have been up to InuYasha's chin, or larger.

'Here they come.' Darren muttered, as everyone in the hall fell silent, and turned to look at the larger-than-necessary doors, where the portly man had disappeared from sight, but in his place was Souta, looking proud as anything, doing his absolute best not to run up the aisle, but still heading slightly too quickly to be in time with the beat. He was quickly followed by the short haired girl called Erica was painfully slowly walking up the aisle, in a pink dress that only had one shoulder, her head held high, and a white bouquet in her gloved hands.

InuYasha just waited, his eyes fixed on the doors behind the girl, his ears acutely listening to the flute player, waiting for it to swell.

As soon as the short-haired girl was about a third of the way up the aisle, Kagome appeared, just in time for the flute to waver and crescendo, and InuYasha felt like he'd been hit with something extremely heavy.

She was wearing the same dress as the Erika girl, however her hair was spilling over her bare shoulder, her eyes fixed rather solidly on a point on the floor, a light dusting of pink was on her cheeks.

He had to bite his lip, he wanted to call out to her, to get her to look up, but he felt a nudge from next to him.

'Easy, tiger,' came a voice, but he did not look around, his eyes only for the girl slowly walking towards them.

Kagome stumbled ever so slightly, and she turned a deep shade of red, looking up and around, at the small crowd of people around her, as if to see who noticed, but they were all distracted, as the long-haired girl, Cara, had appeared behind them.

Kagome looked forward her eyes searching, before they rested on InuYasha, who was suddenly glad they were inside and away from sharp gusts of wind, as he was suddenly feeling wobbly.

She looked away briefly, turning an even darker shade, but then looked back, and a shy smile spread across her lips, and suddenly, all of those minor irritations to him felt just that; minor, compared to the bigger picture.

He crossed his arms behind his back, balling his hands into fists, as he watched her take to the steps, and take her place next to the girl whose name he had forgotten, letting out what was obviously a nervous breath.

She looked up at him then, smiled slightly, looking tense, then looked back around towards the doors, where the music made a crescendo and the bride, Tsuki, appeared, dressed all in white, holding the portly man's arm, a thin, white veil covering her face.

InuYasha looked away, and up at the sandy-haired groom, George, who looked, simply put, dazed.

Tsuki made her way slowly in time with the music, her eyes only for the man at the front, until she made her way up the stone steps, and the man who must have been her father gave her hand to George, kissed his daughter, and went to find his seat at the front of the church, sitting next to who must have been her misty-eyed mother.

Later, InuYasha would swear blind that he merely blinked, and suddenly the couple at the front kissed, then turned to the cheering crowd, and the formation broke, as the crowd came up and surrounded the couple, InuYasha was suddenly swamped with people.

As far as he saw, the couple were getting pulled this way and that, for hugs, and kisses, and hearty slaps on the back, InuYasha instead opted for (very nearly literally) swimming his way through the crowd, to where the bridesmaids had been standing only moments ago.

Despite the crowds best efforts, he found her moderately easily by her scent as soon as he ditched the horrible flower attached to his front, and tapped her on the shoulder.

'Kagome?' He said, and she looked up, a broad smile still up on her face. 'I love you,' he pulled her into his arms, flatly ignoring the pressing crowd around them, gazing down at her.

'I love you too.' She replied, kissing him, pressing herself as close as she could get.

* * *

**I love writing these sort of chapters, can't you tell? But to shake it up a little, I thought I'd do it from InuYasha's perspective entirely, rather than the usual hovering between the two. **

**Thanks to nycorrall, katieykat and extra special thanks to AlyCat120, I feel all warm and fuzzy from that, thanks! :3**

**Please review!**


	38. Better Looking Half

The reception was held at a nearby high end restaurant, where the meals were highly enjoyable, and desserts started with champagne and two side-by-side chocolate fountains of rather extraordinary proportions, and a small banquet of food items that could be dunked inside the small river of chocolate that cascaded down the sides of the fountains, which flanked the traditional layered cake.  
Kagome had to chuckle at InuYasha's face when all of this was brought out, he must have finally met his match, with more food than he could possibly eat in one sitting.  
Speeches were made, about the bride and groom, and they too made a speech, before food was stuck into, and the bar was opened.  
Souta was waving his camera around wildly, as if trying to document every moment that occurred that night, or at least, the better looking half of the night, before he would be sent home.  
Steve seemed thoroughly intent upon drinking himself into a stupor, and InuYasha seemed to have his heart set upon emptying the room of all food, this continued until the sun had well and truly set, and the guests who were families had to return to their homes, due to the late hour.  
'Come on, InuYasha,' Darren was saying, as he pulled the hanyou over to the bar. 'Come and drink with me.'  
'But, why?'  
'Why not? It's tradition that everyone gets drunk at a wedding.' He said as he sat down on a stool, and ordered a drink that was unrecognizable to InuYasha.  
He looked around, to see Kagome was standing with the other bridesmaids, and was holding a glass of something that bubbled.  
He started slightly when a glass was set before him, something that smelt strongly of the berries he had been eating earlier, so strongly, in fact, he nearly missed the distinct tang of what made sake turn people strange.  
'What is it?'  
'Berry explosion. Go on, try it.'  
He took a tiny sip, and discovered he liked the cool sweetness of it, and he sat down on the stool before him.  
'So tell me something about yourself, InuYasha. You said your Father was from around the place, what about your Mom? Where was she from?'  
A cloud clearly covered InuYasha's face. 'She was from the continent. I can't remember where exactly anymore.'  
'When did you come to Japan?' Darren clearly had some tact, and dropped the subject, taking a drink from his orange and bitter-smelling drink.  
'I dunno how long ago it was, but I was a runt back then.'  
'Did you come straight to Tokyo? Or did you move somewhere else first?'  
'I lived mainly in the countryside. I didn't like crowded places, or people, for that matter.'  
'Oh? Why's that?' Both InuYasha and Darren cringed slightly as some people down at the end of the row decided to start singing.  
A darker shadow crossed his face. 'People treat me different.'  
Darren clapped him on the back, causing him to accidently inhale most of his drink, and he came out of it spluttering.  
'Like me ma always used to tell me; they just don't know what to say.'  
InuYasha somehow managed to give the guy a dry look through his coughing.  
Darren shrugged. 'I know, it's cheesy. But there's not really anything anyone can do about it, right? We've just got to suck it up and deal with it until we find people who can accept us.'  
'Keh.' InuYasha said, looking away darkly.  
'I get where you're coming from, sort of, kids used to always pick on me, you know, because of my size and all? I lived with it for years before I filled out, and I tell you, they didn't want nothing to do with me after that,' Darren grinned menacingly as he cracked his knuckles.  
InuYasha's thoughts idled back tho his own childhood, and how both humans and demons alike seemed dead-set on killing him, and his hands balled into fists.  
'And hey, at least you've got that Kagome girl now, right? She seems to think of you pretty fondly.'  
InuYasha found himself turn pink, his gaze roving back over to her, before looking back at him. 'What about you, are you, do you have someone?'  
'Well,' Suddenly the tall man looked embarrassed, drumming his fingers on the counter top. 'Sort of.'  
He continued his steady gaze until the guy elaborated.  
'See, she's really nice, her name's Lilly. She's average height, and right now she's studying her PhD in modern history. Her hair's the colour of copper.' He added a little dreamily.  
'So you like her.' Statement, not question.  
Darren laughed nervously. 'Actually, I'm in love with her.' He corrected, finishing his drink.  
'Have you done anything about it?' InuYasha said irritably.  
'Well, we started going out a little over a week before I left to come here.' He said shyly. 'She couldn't come over because of work.' He called the bartender over and ordered himself another of his own drinks, and something that smelt of lemons for InuYasha, before looking around at him. 'How did you and Kagome start going out?'  
InuYasha turned red at the question, not the response. 'I saved her life.'  
'How'd you do that?'  
'She was drowning, under a waterfall. I pulled her out, that's all.'  
'Sounds pretty heroic. Did you know her before then?'  
InuYasha privately thought that that was a stupid question. 'I'd known her long before then.'  
Darren whacked him on the shoulder. 'So did she finally notice you, then?'  
InuYasha ignored the numbing sensation that spread through his arm. 'Like I said, she'd seen me before.'  
'No, I mean, did she finally notice how cool and heroic you were then?'  
'She knew before then, but I don't know about when she started, loving me.' He frowned slightly, sifting back through his earlier memories of the girl, the whole idea felt a little strange.  
Darren laughed. 'Women are a mystery, especially when it comes to that sort of thing.'  
InuYasha took a drink. 'Don't I know it.'

* * *

Kagome's evening started splendidly, but looking back, she would wish she knew a little more about it.  
She knew she spent a lot of it with a champagne glass in her hand that kept getting refilled, talking to Cara and Erika, and keeping a quiet eye on InuYasha, who seemed to be having a serious discussion about something over at the bar, after having been dragged away from the bare-looking food table.  
And as the night progressed, she got more warm, she thought at the time that someone was overcompensating for the night with the heater, and her conversation got sillier, but nobody seemed to notice.  
After a while, she helped herself to what was left of the chocolate fountains, along with the other girls, before moving over to where InuYasha was, as steadily as she could.  
'You don't look so good, Kagome, you should stop drinking.' He had slurred a little.  
'Look who's talking.' She'd giggled back, sitting next to him, and the tall man, Darren, had laughed, clearly more than a little plastered.  
She'd stolen some of his drink, then.  
After that, though, Kagome's memories of the night dwindled into non-existence.

* * *

**Dun dun duuunnnn, nearly the end of this arc. I told you interesting things would happen! :3 **

**K-enjeru, thanks! Nycorrall, hope this keeps it exciting :3 and Katieykat, you're right, all reviews of praise make me warm and fuzzy, but especially ones like yours. I send you cookies :) Also not quite, the story's not finished yet! I've still got another story arc to go, with explosions and ground shaking and everything! I hope you enjoy!**

**Please review!**


	39. Tall Champagne Glass

Kagome awoke the next morning slowly.  
The first thing she noticed was the almost blinding headache that seemed to pulse through her cranium, radiating from the centre outwards.  
The second thing she noticed was the amount of sunlight that streamed in through her window, a little painful to look at, and she only had herself to blame.  
She stuck her hand out from under her messy covers where the rest of her lay dormant, fingers searching for her alarm clock, only for her to instead brush against something sharp, and she shrank back immediately.  
She lifted the covers slightly, to see that her poor, defenceless little alarm clock had been absolutely destroyed, in what must have been a heavy object or a blow from above, the sharp object she had touched being what was left of the side of the clock, embedded slightly in the small table.  
'What happened to you?' She asked it, almost expecting a response, however it said nothing, and she sat up, only to discover something was pulling at her hair, and she ran her fingers through it, to discover buttons were caught in it.  
She frowned, and looked down, to discover she was completely bare, with the beginnings of an oddly shaped bruise on the outside of her upper thigh the size of her palm, that had four points fanning on its outermost extremes that were deeper than the majority of it, and one shorter, yet the deepest purple point that extended over her hip, she found, tracing her fingers around the edges of it. It was not unlike a handprint, the fingertips having pressed hard.  
'Huh?' She looked around, trying to piece together her own reasoning from the night before.  
The first thing she saw was her bridesmaids dress, draped rather clumsily over the back of her chair.  
_I must have tried to have gotten changed, then given up._ She shrugged.  
She searched her memories, thinking back to the previous night, remembering going up to InuYasha at the bar, but almost nothing after that, simply snatches, like flying through the air, which could only have been InuYasha taking them both home.  
However one moment stood out to her clearly, one that she could remember only two things about it; it was dark and warm, and something important was happening.  
Not something bad, she figured, but something nonetheless.  
The dress caught her attention again, and she turned red. _Oh god, I hope I didn't just start stripping if InuYasha was still there._ She dismissed the thought rather optimistically, she was ninety-nine per cent sure her drunk self had more sense than that.  
She freed herself from what turned out to be her pyjama top, and pulled her arms through it, ignoring her aching skull, then stood, looking around, before feeling the blood drain from her face.  
There, leaning almost nostalgically against the side of her desk, was the Tetsusaiga.  
Its frayed handle was a dead give away, she would have recognised that sword anywhere, and besides.  
What other swords was she as equally familiar with?  
She looked down, at the ground, where a dark coloured pile of clothes sat innocently, she bent and picked one of them up, it was a jacket, a black one.  
And underneath it was InuYasha's white undershirt, typically seen under his haori.  
Her gaze shot upwards, to where she had left his regular clothes folded carefully on her chair, to discover them gone.  
'Oh, no.'  
She looked around again, discovering both her shoes and his scattered a little by the door, his socks tangled in amongst them.  
Kagome span back to her bed, and started sifting through her sheets._ Best case scenario, we got changed and he went back to the feudal era._ She paused. _I doubt Shippou would let him live it down if he went back in that tux. Plus,_ she added desperately,_ I would kill him if he got it dirty._  
Her hands continued to run through the haphazard sheets, which had formed mostly into the cocoon that she had slept in, most likely to fend off the cold, considering she had slept mostly naked.  
And it wasn't until she had dug into the heart of it (with a couple of false starts) that she had been unwillingly searching for.  
A single, silvery white hair that was easily the length of her arm, one that she could not break with any sort of ease, had been tangled amongst the folds of her sheets, and she held it up for inspection, paling greatly.  
Her gaze fell back upon the dismembered clock, and she examined it closely, to discover the sharp side that remained stubbornly in the air had what could only have been blood dripping gruesomely down the side.  
'Crap,' she said, sitting back down on her bed, resting her head in her hands, pressing her fingers against her temples. 'Crap, crap, crap...'  
Conflicting emotions washed over her, she wasn't entirely sure what to think.  
'I'm not sure I was ready for this.' She muttered, shutting her eyes. 'I can't believe it. I gave it to him on a silver platter.' She paused, then chuckled bleakly. 'Actually, it was in a tall champagne glass.' Her mind ran over the events of the previous evening that she could remember again, her vague memories of approaching him at the bar, and how drunk he had seemed. 'I wonder if he knows yet,' she wondered half-heartedly, 'and where could he be?' She paused. 'Probably back in the past.' She opened her hands again to look down at the floor, where his mostly black pile of clothes still sat accusingly, before reaching down and picking up his undershirt.  
She sifted through the pile a little more, searching for the collared white shirt, to no avail, and she frowned slightly, suddenly noticing the clothing actually made less of a pile, and more of a trail, that pointed suspiciously towards her bed._ Now where did that shirt go?_ She paused, sitting back down. He might have mistaken it for his own shirt. She held up the offending article of clothing. I suppose they do sort of look the same.  
She knew she should go and see if he was alright, and return his sword, as well as his shirt, however, there was something holding her back, but she couldn't figure out what it was, leaving her to feel uncomfortable with the whole situation.

* * *

**Heh heh, Oh Kagome. It was inevitable. **

**Nycorrall, how's this?**

**Please review!**


	40. Upon a Rooftop

InuYasha, on the other hand, woke with a start a little earlier that morning.  
It was only around an hour after dawn, and the crisp morning air was still fresh as it whirled around him on a stiff breeze.  
He was flat on his back, sprawled on a roof, and upon looking around, he recognized his location to be on top of Kaede's place.  
What the hell am I doing here? He sat up, flatly ignoring the average headache that followed with the movement, instead opting to check that he was alone.  
A slight burning sensation in his hand made him look down, to discover he was bleeding, and quite badly at that, from a fairly deep cut across the back of said left hand. How the hell did that get there? He wondered, raising it to his face, to see the blood that seeped from the wound dripping gruesomely onto the roof, staining it red.  
There was a little pool from where he had been sleeping, but clearly not enough for the damage to have been caused here.  
However upon this movement, despite his familiar haori around him, he was feeling restricted, and his good hand flew to his throat, where he found that his undershirt had a collar.  
'Huh?' He muttered as he looked down, discovering his undershirt to be actually the horrid shirt from the previous day, the shirt with the ridiculous buttons on the cuffs that InuYasha so detested.  
Memories suddenly flooded back, and he ran through it quickly, before he turned white, his eyes turning into saucers, the major event of the evening (or had it been morning?) standing out at him like the nose on his face.  
'No,' he said, running his fingers through his hair, because surely his subconscious was joking. 'That's not funny. What really happened.'  
However nothing changed, his memories remained consistent, and his hands balled into fists.  
'I, couldn't've.' He managed, staring at the corner of the roof, fidgeting greatly, flatly ignoring his injured hand.  
Scene one. Darren had told them to go home, they were drunk. InuYasha himself had agreed, and they left.  
Scene two. They had gone to Kagome's house, by him carrying her and travelling the usual way.  
Scene three. Staggering and stumbling their way back up to her room, not unlike the way they had when he had tried to take on that ogre demon a while ago.  
Scene four, well, InuYasha skipped over, his frazzled nerves couldn't take it again. All he was willing to get into was the fact they had slept together. Twice.  
And finally, scene five. He had fallen asleep, folded tightly up against her, his nose buried in the incredibly soft flesh of her neck, his right hand thrown lazily around her stomach, pulling her closer into him.  
If he closed his eyes, he could still clearly feel the electric touch of her warm, soft skin and wondrous form unhindered and unclothed against the length of his own equally bare body in the aftermath, her scent even now still clinging to him, and he flushed beetroot, bringing his slightly sweating hands to his chest, feeling his heartbeat hammer, and the unbidden, slight, half-grim grin to his lips.  
_Congratulations, drunk self, Kagome's going to kill me_.  
It was a most definite theory, and he shuddered slightly.  
_She's either going to be indifferent,_ something he doubted of the hot-blooded girl,_ or ridiculously angry for some reason._  
The passing memories from that morning flashed past, almost as a side note of that ridiculous alarm clock going off at some ungodly hour, and his breakage of said clock, before realizing his position, being folded against the girl, squeezed in together in the single bed, then leaping to his feet, haphazardly pulling his clothes on, dumping her pyjama shirt on her, and fleeing half-drunkenly.  
He glanced down, noticing the Tetsusaiga was missing, but his feet were blissfully bare. He proved this fact by wiggling his toes slightly.  
The string of expletives first trickled, then increased to a stream, then a river, as he stood, and leapt down from the roof, and hurried into the treeline, but then hesitated, turning back.  
_No, what if she wants to be alone?_ He thought, taking a couple of steps back towards the hut, but then paused again._ I should probably apologize, I think._ He started again for the trees, but stopped._ What if she's angry with me?_ He wheeled around, not willing to cross her. _But what if she's upset?_ He retraced his steps. _She'd probably take it out on me._ He treaded lightly back towards the hut._ But what if she's not upset?_ He headed back towards the trees. _No, she probably is._ He turned again, continuing his circle_. At the very least, I need to get the Tetsusaiga, and my undershirt back_. He headed back towards the trees resolutely, but then flinched. _No, she'd sit me through the floor._ Again, retracing his steps, but then halted, making a frustrated noise. 'Why the hell are women so confusing?' He asked himself aloud, pressing his hands to his temples, facing the trees.  
'Good morning, InuYasha,' said a voice from behind him, and he nearly leapt out of his skin. 'What are you doing?'  
He span back to face the feminine voice, to see Sango, looking a little mystified, a tub of water under one arm.  
'Nothing.' He said shortly, glancing back at the trees.  
'You seem to be a little troubled, or at the very least, dizzy from that pacing. Is anything the matter?'  
'No. Don't worry about it.' He said, turning red, and disappearing into the trees. 'I'm just going to be killed.' He muttered halfheartedly as he moved through the chilly morning air, tugging uncomfortably at the stupid white shirt. 'Goodbye, cruel world.' He bade to Goshinboku as it came into sight. 'No more forestry, no more ninja food,' he sniffled slightly, only half-joking. 'No more of that ninja noodles you add hot water to,' he paused, 'damn. I really shouldn't have left Tetsusaiga with her. I really am going to die.'

* * *

**Oh InuYasha, you worrywart! Here's another of my favourite chapters to write, hope you enjoyed it! **

**Coming to the end of the end of this arc, then into the next one, where we see what Naraku's been up to!**

**Please review!**


	41. Unsure Feelings

'Kagome?' InuYasha said, sliding open her window from the outside and stepping in, to see the girl had pulled on her pyjamas, and was sitting on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. 'Are you alright?'  
She turned her face away from him wordlessly, her face unreadable.  
He sat down on the floor next to her. 'I'm, sorry?' He turned the statement into a question, shifting uncomfortably, searching for the right words to break her from this silence.  
However, she continued to say nothing.  
'I, uh,' he started again, haltingly. 'Are you angry with me?' He suggested, clueless as to what sort of emotion was bothering her, let alone how to solve it. 'Or upset, at me?'  
A single tear ran down her face.  
'Hey! No crying.' He said a little shortly.  
'Sit.' She finally said as he started to draw himself up, and he collided with the floor.  
She stood, ignoring his protests, and left the room momentarily, returning with a roll of bandage and a pair of scissors.  
He sprang up as soon as she entered. 'You're clearly upset.' He said.  
'I'm not, upset.' She replied, sitting down. 'Give me your hand.'  
He frowned at the odd request, but then glanced down, and remembered the deep cut the clock had given him, where blood was threatening to drip gruesomely off of the end of his claws, and offered the offending limb. 'Well there's clearly something wrong.' He flinched a little at his poor choice of words.  
She stared at it for a long moment, turning it over to be palm up, a connection obviously being drawn in her eyes, before she started on it, focusing on the task a lot more than was strictly necessary. 'I'm not angry, either.' She said after a while.  
'You're clearly angry, then.' He said, frowning at her, and she gave him such a look that he quailed.  
'I'm not angry.' She said in a deadly tone to his hand.  
'I,' He couldn't seem to figure out a good thing to say, and it threw off his temper a little. 'I didn't mean,'  
'You didn't mean what, InuYasha?' She said, pressing the roll of bandage into his hand and getting to her feet, electricity crackling around her.  
He stood as well.  
'You didn't mean what. You didn't mean what you did?'  
'No!' He shot back, 'I just, didn't intend for it to happen.'  
'So it did actually happen?' She said a little desperately, clearly hoping that this wasn't the actual case. 'The whole way?'  
InuYasha started greatly, raising his hands defensively, turning red. 'W-well, sort of?'  
'Sort of? Yes or no, idiot.' She said darkly, crossing her arms.  
He made a decidedly uncomfortable noise, hesitating. 'Yes?' He did feel some obligation to tell her of the repetition, however. He flushed, but he wasn't nearly as innocent as he had been. 'Uh, the, second time is where you got,' they were not standing far apart, so it wasn't hard for him to reach foreword and brush the clothed and out of sight bruise on her thigh with the guilty fingertips. 'Sorry about that, by the way.' He said with an unbidden grin that he fought desperately, yet the memories flashed clear as day across his face.  
She, however, drew in a sharp breath at his almost casual touch, before her expression turned unreadable once more, then disappeared as she hid her face in her hands.  
'Kagome?' The smile gone, his hands were raised, unsure.  
She was silent for a long moment, however he noticed the electricity hadn't faded.  
'So tell me.' She eventually said, her voice building. 'Why exactly is it that you can remember, but I can't?' She stepped foreword and stabbed his chest with a finger. 'Tell me how it came about. If you were sober enough to remember?'  
His temper boiled. 'One of the reasons I don't drink is that reason. I'll only remember in the morning, Kagome. And fine. You want to know how it happened? I'll tell you. You started it. I admit I didn't do anything to stop you, but you were fairly distracting.'  
She flushed beetroot, and clearly saw red too. 'Sit!' She exclaimed, crossing her arms as he collided with her carpet. 'Sit, sit, sit!'  
'See? You're angry!' He argued, fighting the spell as best he could, and failing miserably.  
'I, am, not, angry!' She emphasized, balling her hands into fists, and he returned to his feet.  
'How the hell are you not angry?' His voice was raising, and his stance was defensive.  
'How hard to I have to beat you over the head with it? I'm not upset!'  
'Then why are you shouting?' He yelled. 'I'm sorry about what happened, but it wasn't entirely my fault!'  
'You're blaming me!?'  
'I don't seem to have as much of a problem with it as you do!'  
'So you don't have a problem with it!?'  
'I do!' He shot back. 'But you're the one who's yelling!'  
'You...!' She seemed beyond words, inflating slightly, drawing back, then threw her punch as hard as she could into the side of his face.  
It was like hitting a brick wall, with all of his natural solidness, and all she would get out of it were bruises on her knuckles.  
He did not recoil in the slightest, however he turned his face away, his anger deflating like a popped balloon expanded to breaking point. 'Are you finished?'  
She retracted her hand, staring at it shockedly, as if she couldn't believe it was attached to her. 'I'm sorry.'  
He was quiet for a long moment, she could clearly see that she had not left a single mark on him. 'Who are you angry at, then?' He eventually questioned.  
She made to say something, but then obviously decided otherwise, her gaze wandering elsewhere, and was silent for what felt like an eternity. 'Myself.'  
InuYasha said nothing, but he turned to the side, relaxing his stance. 'Why's that?' He said, frowning.  
She took his hand again and continued on the half-finished bandage, seating herself on her bed, her anger dissipating like someone had pulled a plug. 'Because I'm not as, upset, as I should be.'  
That made no sense to InuYasha, but he said nothing, simply seating himself on the ground, his own anger gone.  
'I mean, I should be incredibly disappointed in myself, for what happened. I don't even remember.' She sniffled slightly. 'For something important like that, I don't remember a single thing.' She snipped the end of the bandage, and tucked the end in, before releasing his hand, shuffled herself down so she was seated next to him, and rested her head against his shoulder.  
InuYasha turned a little red, his gaze fixed upon his freshly bandaged knuckles. 'Well, you, er, didn't seem to, dislike it.' He said haltingly.  
She flushed a bright, bright red, drawing her knees under her chin, and wrapping her arms around them. 'I suppose this was going to happen anyway.' She said in a small voice. 'I mean, we did have that deal. So this was just, an accident.'  
He wasn't entirely sure what to say to that, so he stood, seizing his under-shirt from sitting on her desk, then turned back to face her, leant in and kissed her forehead. 'I love you,' he said easily, then made to exit the room, but halted when the girl chuckled. 'What?'  
'You said that you love me, without being embarrassed this time.'  
'So?' He said, turning back to face her.  
'That wouldn't be something to do with last night, would it?'  
'No.' He replied. 'That was from before then.' _But it did help._  
'No?'  
'You know,' he nodded at the pink dress that was hung over the back of her chair. 'You, looked,' he hesitated slightly, 'beautiful, in that.'  
She turned red, again. 'Thanks.'  
He left the room, closing the door behind him, leaving her to her thoughts.  
She fixed her gaze on the corner of her desk. 'Now if only I could remember.' Her mind wandered back to that single moment, but no further details revealed themselves.  
'And how is that fair?' She said to no one in particular. 'He gets to hold the memories of everything.' She turned and clambered back onto her bed, no longer finding the floor comfortable, and looked around, before standing.  
She shook her head of those thoughts, and grabbed her bin, before carefully scooping the remains of her clock into it, accidentally slicing her finger against the sharp edge. 'Shoot.' She said, automatically snatching back her hand, and stuck the injured digit in her mouth for a long moment. She looked around, and grabbing a green, hard-cover book that sat upon her desk, and used that to push the rest into her bin, before setting it back down, only to notice the fresh scar and faint scratches now embedded into her bedside table.  
Sighing slightly, she ran her good hand over the scar, then looked back around at her clock, which was looking pretty sorry for itself in her bin. She then started rifling through her cupboard for something to wear for the day, picking out a t-shirt, and a pair of long pants, the latter of which she pulled on quickly, pausing only for underwear, then started on her pyjama top, shrugging out of it, only for the door to open behind her, and she covered herself as fast as she could.  
'Sit!' She said upon recognizing the intruder, and InuYasha hit the ground with a shocking thud, the white, collared shirt floating a little more lightly to the ground next to him. 'Jeez, do you ever knock?'  
He looked up, but wisely not at her. 'You'd hurt yourself.' He said simply.  
'I cut myself on my clock, that you broke!' She replied hotly, pulling her shirt on.  
As soon as he could, he pulled himself to his feet again, already reaching for the bandages she had left on the corner of her bed. 'Show me.' He said, holding his own hand out to her.  
She rather crossly revealed her hand, which he took, and pressed the wound to his lips, she suddenly felt the need to sit down as she felt his tongue sweep over it, before he bandaged it tightly. 'There, payback.' He said as he tied the knot, then hesitated. 'Uh, sorry about the clock.'  
'It's fine.' She said. 'We'll be going back to the feudal era soon anyway.'

* * *

**I kept coming back to edit this chapter, I could never make it quite work the way I wanted to, but I think this is as close as I'm going to get it. **

**Hope you lot like it, and please review!**


	42. New Places

'What happened to you two?' Shippou had asked as they started travelling again, heading easterly from the village.  
'Nothing.' InuYasha had responded shortly, then looked menacingly at Miroku, who was looking sly. 'And you're not allowed to say a word.'  
Miroku's face had turned highly affronted, but wisely complied with the hanyou's wishes.  
And thus they travelled hard, passing quietly past the village where Sango had been mistaken for a princess, and carefully avoiding the village and castle where she had been taken, despite much complaint on InuYasha's part ('Just let me drop in to pound that prince!'), and beyond that, into the place where rumours of a safe-haven from demons resided, until they reached a barrier.  
Not a barrier comprised of spiritual prowess, a physical one.  
'... So demons,' the leader of the small group of people who were standing by the roadside was saying, 'are not allowed through here, even if they wanted to.'  
'Shippou and Kirara wouldn't hurt anyone.' Sango said shortly, crossing her arms, and Kirara mewed up at the man, who glanced down at her uneasily.  
'Yeah!' Shippou said, stamping his foot down, looking angry. 'I don't harm humans, so let us through!'  
'I might have let them slide,' the man admitted, however he nodded at InuYasha, who had not so much thunderclouds as a cyclone rolling over his face, his hands balled into fists. 'But your friend here is clearly a demon!'  
'Well, he's not.' Kagome said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
'Do I really look that stupid to you?' The man replied dryly, crossing his arms.  
'Yes.' InuYasha responded, just barely keeping a lid on his temper.  
'What are you then, a water nymph?'  
Kagome gripped a restraining hand against his sleeve. 'He's a half demon, ergo, not a demon, and fits your criteria of what can pass through.'  
The guy stuck his nose in the air in a clear face of contempt, and InuYasha lost it.  
'Sit.' Kagome said, though she was clearly angry herself, and InuYasha hit the dirt just as he was about to swing his fists.  
'We'll need a moment to reshuffle our business here, if you don't mind.' Miroku said cooly to the man, who had leapt back a few steps, turning white, before nodding once, and retreated to where his companions stood firmly.  
'I'm sorry, InuYasha, but if you hurt him, then we'll never get through.' Kagome said darkly, glaring over at the man, crouching next to the hanyou, as he looked up.  
'Keh.' He said, clearly pissed off, leaping to his feet as the spell released him.  
'But the way this is going, we'll never get through at all.' Miroku said. 'I suggest we split up. Sango and I will go on ahead, why don't you and Kagome go and see if you can find a demon who will tell us why they left?' He left off the obvious or something, but it was clear.  
InuYasha continued to look less than pleased, shooting glares at the group of men over his shoulder. 'Fine. Go and have a look around, then come back.'  
'We'll meet,' Kagome started, but then hesitated as she glanced over at the men, then pointed back down the road that they had just come. 'Back at that last intersection,' the one being just around the corner, and out of sight amongst the treeline, 'in four days.'  
Sango nodded, and Shippou leapt onto Kagome's shoulder. 'Right.' He said.  
InuYasha turned and stalked off, leaving Kagome to hurry along in his wake, whilst Miroku and Sango turned back to the group of men, the leader of which was looking a little relieved.  
'There, happy?' Sango asked a little bluntly.  
'May we continue?' Miroku tacked on the end.  
'Very well,' said the man grudgingly, 'just don't blame us if that two-tail decides to up and leave.'  
Sango looked like she was going to say something, but instead pushed past him, drawing herself up, looking offended. 'Let's go, Miroku.'  
'Coming,' he said, following easily, and falling into step beside her.  
'I'm not surprised InuYasha hates people like that,' she said in an undertone as they strode onwards, crossing her arms. 'I would hate them too, even if they hadn't done anything to me.'  
'People are just like that.' Miroku said a little sadly.  
'Hmph.' She muttered shortly.  
'But something like a boarder protected only by humans wouldn't be a reason for demons to want to leave.' Miroku said curiously, looking around. 'That just isn't logical.'  
'We'll probably find something further in,' she responded, her eyes fixed firmly on the road.  
'You're right.' He paused. 'Although, it is bothering me a little, this is sounding awfully familiar to Mount Hakurei.'  
She blinked at him. 'And Naraku certainly isn't stupid enough to try the same trick twice.'  
Kirara mewed at them, her eyes roving around.  
'Is something the matter, Kirara?' Sango asked her companion, but the twin tail shook her head slightly, as if brushing something off, and continued walking.  
'There's definately something funny going on.' Miroku said.  
Presently, a village came into sight, and it was abundantly clear that it was full to bursting.  
A farmer approached them then, his shovel leaning casually over his shoulder, and was fairly decently covered with dirt, clear from the moderately deep hole he strode from that he had been obviously digging in an adjacent field.  
'Ho there, travellers!' He said to them, in a cheerful tone, but his face was serious.  
'Good afternoon.' Miroku said politely.  
'I'd be expectin' that yer here about th' sanctuary?' He said, sticking his shovel in the ground and leaning against it.  
'We were just curious about it, we're not here to stay.' Sango said, eyeing the fellow up.  
He was average height, and built fairly solidly, with black hair and brown eyes that were clearly more intelligent then his speech patterns.  
'Tha's good, our village's about to pop with every'ne movin' in. Anyways, if yer curious about the sactuary, then yer gonna have to go on a bit further, the barrier don't start for a while's yet.'  
'Barrier?' Miroku said seriously.  
'Yeah, those soldiers you would'a met back there?' He gestured back down the road. 'They're just there to help this'ere village. We're close on enough to that there barrier to keep demons away though.'  
Kirara mewed up at him, and he looked down in surprise.  
'Except for this little'ne here, I see.' He bent and offered his hand to her, before scratching her lightly on the head, chuckling. 'It's been a while since I came across a twin-tail.' He said, before standing. 'There used to be a few who lived here, but they went away after, y'know, that barrier came up.'  
'When did that happen?' Sango asked, as Kirara mewed again.  
'About three moons ago?' He shrugged. 'We don't really know when exactly it came up, but we did notice when demons just up'n'left the place.'  
'I see.' Sango said.  
'We don't really know where exactly the barrier's border is, but I'm sure yer twin tail'll notice, or at least, you will notice when she's disappeared.'  
Miroku looked up at the position of the sun. 'I don't suppose there'd be any place around here that would have room for us for the night, would there?'  
'Nope, you'd be lucky to find a spot und'r a tree with all these people, and it's worse inside the barrier.'  
'I can imagine.' Sango said.  
'Well you seem a nice enough couple, so I'm sure I kin put you up for a couple of nights, if you're not staying too long.' The man shrugged. 'I'm called Ken, by the way.'  
'Really?' Sango said surprisedly.  
'There's still a bit of time left in the day,' Miroku responded, 'would it be alright if we had a look around first?'  
'Sure, I'll give you a grand tour and ev'rythin'. I'm sick'a digging that hole anyway.'  
Miroku and Sango exchanged a surprised look. 'That would be great.' Sango said.

* * *

**Final story arc (finally :) ), and I think Ken's one of my favourite characters that I've ever written about. Writing a character with an accent is surprisingly difficult!**

**Anyway, we'll see what Naraku's been up to all this time, as well as some interesting events that go down!**

**Thanks to KatieyKat, and Nycorrall; I know, the poor things.**

**Please review!**


	43. Firewood

InuYasha was in a distinctly foul mood that evening.  
The cold was winning against the tiny campfire, and Kagome and Shippou were huddled around it, in the tiny abandoned shed they had come across, and were spending the night in.  
'Wow, it's cold.' Shippou said, his breath hanging before him in mists. 'I hope Miroku and Sango are alright.'  
'They probably found somewhere to stay with the other people there.' Kagome responded, glancing back at InuYasha. 'Are you sure you don't want to join us here?'  
'Keh.' He responded, drawing his sword a little closer to him as he fought against the cold.  
'You could get sick when you're human like this, InuYasha.' Shippou said, earning himself a dirty look.  
'Come on, InuYasha, there's room for one more.' She said, shuffling over a little.  
'Fine.' He said, getting up, scratching absentmindedly at one of his human ears with a blunt nail, before seating himself in the space provided, setting the Tetsusaiga down behind him.  
'It's a bit of a difference between here and my time, isn't it?' Kagome said to him, laughing slightly. 'Temperature-wise, I mean.'  
InuYasha said nothing as he gazed into the flames, his mood obviously not improving.  
'Geez, why do you have to be so gloomy all the time?' Shippou asked him.  
'Who're you callin' gloomy, runt?' InuYasha responded sharply, picking the boy up by the scruff of the neck.  
'I'm calling you gloomy; gloomy!' Shippou shot back, trying to wriggle his way out of his situation. 'You're human for one night and you get all depressed like this!'  
'Why you, how would you like to sleep outside for this one night?'  
'InuYasha,' Kagome said warningly. 'Would you like to be sat, considering where you are?'  
InuYasha looked down, and paled, as he discovered himself to be leaning right over the fire, before dropping the kitsan.  
'He started it.' InuYasha said, crossing his arms.  
'Well I'm finishing it.' Kagome said equally as shortly, pressing her hands a little closer to the fire.  
'Yeah.' Shippou said, sticking his tongue out.  
InuYasha waved a threatening fist at him, causing him to flinch, but did nothing.  
Kagome sighed, watching her breath hang in the air before it melted into the fire. 'It's almost as cold as the last new moon.' She said, looking at InuYasha, who shifted uncomfortably.  
'Isn't that that night when we were in the foothills of that mountain? Yeah, that was really cold.' Shippou agreed.  
'It wasn't that bad.' InuYasha disagreed shortly.  
'Of course it wasn't, mister frostbite.' Kagome agreed placidly, turning back to the fire, earning a sour look for her trouble.  
'So InuYasha, are there any scents that we can follow to track down a demon?' Shippou asked eventually, rubbing his hands together.  
'Of course there are,' InuYasha crossed his arms. 'But most of them are old, and the demons that own them are long gone.'  
'So we should find a fresh one?' Shippou questioned.  
'Obviously.'  
'InuYasha, be nice.'  
'Kagome,' Shippou asked as a side note, 'do you have any more lollipops?'  
'Sure.' Kagome said, reaching for her bag, but InuYasha cut her off.  
'You gotta get more firewood first.'  
'What? Why?' The fox tyke complained. 'Why can't you do it?'  
'You want something? You gotta work for it.' InuYasha said, shifting like he was about to get to his feet, but Shippou backed down.  
'Fine.' Shippou said shortly. 'Can you help me?' He appealed to Kagome.  
'No, she can't. You're tough, aren't you?' InuYasha said.  
Shippou leapt upright, and storming from the hutt. 'You're so mean, InuYasha.' He threw over his shoulder.  
'He's right,' Kagome said, looking at him, 'what was that for? It's freezing out there.'  
InuYasha shrugged. 'It's character building. Besides, we nearly are out.' He said, shuffling a little closer and wrapping an arm around the girl.  
'Oh, that's why.' She said, looking around at the single lump of wood left.  
'Exactly.' He said.  
'But why didn't you-' She looked back at him and he kissed her, tracing his fingers along her jawline, his other hand slipping from her shoulders to her waist.  
She was surprised, but got over it quickly, her fingers wandering down the side of his neck, sending shivers down his spine, and banishing the cold.  
'Well geez,' said a voice by the door, and they sprang apart almost faster then demonly possible. 'If you wanted a minute alone, you could have just said.'  
Shippou hauled the armful of sticks inside, looking a little red, and very wind-bitten. 'I'll have that lollipop now.' He said, dumping the sticks and sitting down.  
'S-sure.' Kagome said, reaching into her depleted-looking yellow bag and producing a large, blue one. 'Here you go.' She busied herself by checking the bow she kept in the side picket, and the quiver of arrows in with it.  
'Thanks.' Shippou said, taking it. 'So, InuYasha?' He said slyly, but that attitude did not last long as the hanyou-turned-human hit the fox demon twice, moving like lightning. 'Ow!' Shippou complained, looking around at Kagome. 'Kagome, InuYasha's being mean to me!'  
Kagome looked up from her bowstring, a far too innocent look on her face. 'What? I didn't see anything.'  
InuYasha grinned at her. 'You hear that?' He said to the fox tyke, cracking his knuckles. 'You say anything, and I personally feed you to the next demon we come across.'  
'What?' Shippou exclaimed. 'But, that's cruel!'  
InuYasha shrugged. 'Keh.'  
'Kagome?' Shippou turned to the girl, but she had turned bright red.  
'Nothing, nothing,' she said distractedly, turning away, again.  
'So shut up and go to sleep.' InuYasha said, striking the boy so that stars span before him, and he fainted.  
'That was a little overboard, wasn't it?' Kagome asked him as she picked up the child.  
InuYasha raised his eyebrows at her. 'Shippou has a big mouth. Do you really want someone like Miroku finding out?'  
She paled slightly, rubbing her hands together.  
'Exactly.'  
'He'd never let us live it down.'  
InuYasha nodded, uncrossing his arms, but he still glanced at her unsurely.  
She raised her eyebrows at him, then kissed him quickly. 'Sorry, you've missed your chance.' She said, cuddling up to him, with the unconscious Shippou in her lap. 'And you're still in trouble from the last time.' She pressed her face into the corner of his neck, abandoning the fire, and sighing slightly.  
He turned red, but was not complaining as he felt her gentle breath against his neck, and she curled a little closer, drawing her knees in so they rested slightly in his lap.  
'Fine.' He said glumly, his eyes turning upwards towards the rafters of the tiny shed, his gaze serious as his thoughts turned to the unseen sky above them.

* * *

**Heh heh, love you Shippou. You're getting off lightly, trust me. **

**Please review!**


	44. Halcyon Days

'It seems like a quaint little village you have here.' Sango was saying the next morning, as they strolled up the main street of the village.  
'Well't was, before ev'ry'ne and their ma moved in.' Ken said, swinging his hands loosely. 'Now it's just bustlin' with people.'  
'All this business would be good for the marketplaces.' Sango commented, as they passed by a small stall, the owner calling out his wares in a voice that was not as clear as it should have been.  
'You'd think so, but all these people that come here? They usually haven't got nothin' after demons attacked 'em.'  
'Could you tell us about what happened when the barrier came up? And anything that would cause the demons to leave?'  
'Like I said, there's nothin' really to say. It wasn't like no great flash of light, or nothin', just people started noticin' that nobody had seen no demons or nothin' fer a while, but it didn't take long for some o' them strange folks to start talkin' about some "sanctuary".'  
'I can see how that would catch on.' Miroku commented. 'And you really haven't seen any demons since then?'  
'Not hide nor hair.' Ken confirmed. 'Can I ask a question?'  
'Sure.' Sango said.  
'Why d'you want to know about that barrier so much?'  
Sango exchanged a look with Miroku. 'Well, we just want to make sure that it's as good as everyone thinks it is.'  
'Well what else could't be?' Ken countered.  
Miroku raised his hands in an apologetic tone. 'Nothing, nothing,' he said, 'don't worry about it. We're just curious.'  
Ken shrugged. 'I can see why. So you're a monk, right? And a demon slayer? Don't you guys kill demons fer a livin'?'  
'Yes, what about it?'  
'Is it just you three?' Ken questioned as they walked down the bustling road.  
'Well, there's also Kagome, InuYasha and Shippou, but the soldiers wouldn't let them pass.' Sango responded.  
'How come? They demons too?'  
'Sort of, Shippou's a demon, and InuYasha's half.' She glanced at Miroku. 'On a completely different note,' she said meaningfully to the monk, 'it was new moon last night.'  
'Yes, I noticed that. Anyway, I'm sure they're fine. When this is over, we'll meet back up with them.'  
Ken frowned between the two of them, but said nothing on the subject. 'What sort'a demons do you fight? I've always been curious about them, but no one seems to want to say nothin'.'  
Sango smiled. 'What would you like to know?'  
The conversation continued as they strolled down the road and came out the other side of the village, when the sun was high in the sky.  
'And this, we think, is where the barrier is.' Ken said, pausing at a nondescript section of road, his village still in plain sight.  
'There's nothing here.' Sango said, looking around, for distinctive signs of any sort of expelling force. She paced about ten steps forward, then turned around and looked at the two men. 'I can still see you, can you see me?'  
'Clear as day, my love.'  
Sango turned a little red, but strode a little further ahead, her hands out in front of her, searching for any sort of interference.  
Kirara mewed at her, looking up at the sky.  
'Can you see something, Kirara?' Miroku asked her.  
Kirara mewed again, looking inquiringly at Sango.  
'What is it?' Sango asked, taking a step closer.  
Kirara looked at Sango, then Ken, then exploded into a ball of fire, expanding into her larger form, growling largely.  
Ken leapt back, startled, raising his hands defensively. 'It got bigger!' He exclaimed.  
Kirara paced back and forth along what seemed like an invisible line, tossing her tails uncomfortably, clearly looking unsettled.  
'Did you know twin tails can do that?' Miroku said to the stunned man.  
'Only the fully mature ones.' Sango corrected automatically from her point about twenty paces away. 'And that doesn't happen for at least a hundred and fifty years after birth.'  
'Really?' Miroku said, looking a little surprised, but then he turned serious. 'It's as if she doesn't want to cross a line. The barrier?'  
'But there's nothin' there!' Ken said.  
'That doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't anything there.' Miroku corrected.  
Kirara turned and faced the invisible line, let out an audible huff, then pressed herself forward.  
There was something like a tiny spark that ran across the bridge of her nose and she leapt back a full thirty paces, hovering about five feet in the air, her paws alight to stay airborne, and she snarled greatly, shaking her head as if to scare off an irritating fly.  
'Kirara?' Sango asked, approaching the twin-tail.  
Kirara growled again, flicking her tails in agitation, and approached the barrier once more, this time passing through harmlessly, however she looked decidedly uncomfortable as she landed next to Sango, transforming back into her smaller state, looking annoyed.  
'What was that all about?' Ken asked.  
'I'm not entirely sure.' Sango said. 'But the barrier doesn't seem to be rejecting her after that initial reaction.'  
Kirara mewed at her and transformed once more ('Kirara?'), taking off greatly and gaining sudden altitude, so high that she could have been mistaken for a bird.  
'Where's she going?' Sango asked, approaching the two men.  
'I'll bet you'll never see her again.' Ken said, watching as she flew into the distance.  
'You're wrong!' Sango said suddenly, dragging her gaze from the speck that was the twin-tail to the farmer.  
Ken shrugged, but Miroku rested a hand on her shoulder.  
'I'll bet she's going to do something, she'll be right back.'  
Sango continued to look on worriedly.  
'Anyway, with her gone, we'll be able to have a little look around the village that's inside the barrier.' Ken said.  
'Right.' Miroku said, guiding his fiancée along as she continued to watch the skies. 'How far is it?'  
'Not far, it's just over this hill.'  
They started up walking, but said nothing as quite suddenly, a village appeared, one with a population that had clearly exploded beyond the village itself's capabilities to house, and as such, many houses, huts, and other buildings were under construction, as well as many tents and the like were scattered into rough beginnings of streets.  
'Wow,' Sango said. 'It's so big!'  
'Yeah, as it turns out, people don't like demons very much.' Ken said casually. 'So they've all come to where demons aren't.'  
'That would make sense.' Miroku nodded.  
They strode along the road they were following, and eventually found themselves in a main square of sorts, that seemed to double as a marketplace, where a shapely young woman approached them.  
'Ken! What're you doing in this part of town?' She asked, wiping her hands on her apron. 'Looks like you've found a couple of travelers to leech off of.'  
'I was just passin' through, showin' these two around.'  
'What do you mean, "leech"?' Sango asked.  
'What do you mean; you know her?' Miroku asked the man. 'Does your wife know about this?' He added in an undertone.  
'Of course she does.' Ken responded, looking a little hurt.  
'Well,' the girl started, 'when my brother finds someone new to talk to, he won't rest until he knows at least as much about what they've seen about the world.'  
Miroku stumbled slightly and nearly fell, looking a little closer at the two siblings and suddenly noticing the distinct similarities; they had precisely the same angular shaped nose.  
'I would'a gone to see it myself, but,' Ken started.  
'But we need someone here to look after the farm, and until I marry, he can't go.'  
Miroku scratched his chin. 'Farming doesn't seem to be that bad of an industry to get into,' he pondered, but changed his mind immediately, upon the Hiraikotsu coming into contact with his head. 'It was just a thought,' he complained, as Sango restraightened it.  
'Never mind.' She said, shooting a glare at him.  
'Call me Mi.' She said, bowing slightly.  
'I'm Miroku,' he said, jumping to the opportunity. 'And this is Sango.'  
'Hi.' Sango said darkly, her even gaze sending chills up the monk's back.  
'It's nice to meet you.' Mi said. 'Are you two married? You seem very close.'  
Whatever Miroku was about to say was lost, as Ken nodded. 'Engaged, actually.' He corrected.  
Sango nodded strongly as well, turning red, as Mi laughed easily, and Miroku looked downtrodden.

* * *

**Aw, Miroku, you never change. **

**And you're right, Nycorrall, Shippou is adorable. :3**


	45. Disagreements

'Any luck, InuYasha?' Kagome said, as they landed lightly in the soft grass.  
InuYasha paused, sniffing around, before leaping off again. 'Nothing.'  
InuYasha, Kagome and Shippou were somewhere north of the barrier, moving quickly through the dense forrest on the afternoon after the night of new moon, and they were scouting out a recent scent that they could follow.  
'We're spending all this time trying to find someone,' Shippou complained, 'why doesn't InuYasha just go there, then we can ask him?'  
'Why don't we send you there?' InuYasha shot back. 'Then you can high tail it to out of my hair.'  
'Shippou, we want to see if there was an event that caused demons to leave.'  
'Yeah, so if you have a way to go back in time to see it, we're all ears.' InuYasha said, dodging a low-hanging branch with such speed that it nearly threw off Shippou, who only barely managed to stay on Kagome's shoulder by sheer luck.  
'InuYasha!' Shippou exclaimed, gripping onto Kagome's shirt with a death grip.  
'It's not my fault you can't stay on.' InuYasha shrugged, slowing to a halt and looking around, then taking off again.  
'It's not my fault you're moving like a maniac.' Shippou shot. 'I'm surprised Kagome hasn't fallen off, let alone me.'  
'That wouldn't happen. Besides, this is how I normally run.' InuYasha added indifferently, then felt Kagome's forehead tap against the back of his neck.  
'Are you two seriously going to argue for the entire four days?' Kagome said plaintively.  
'Only if he doesn't stop being so stubborn.' Shippou responded.  
Kagome gave the kitsan a dry look. 'Shippou, think about who you're talking to.'  
'Kagome,' InuYasha complained, but suddenly turned serious, landing solidly, stopping so fast that Shippou flew off of him, and solidly into a tree, where he sank to the ground upside down, stunned slightly.  
'Shippou!' Kagome said, startled, but was in for another surprise as InuYasha dropped her, and she landed in a heap. 'What was that for?' She said, rubbing her tailbone.  
'Wait here.' InuYasha said in a deadly tone, drawing his sword, and almost vanishing on the spot, he hurried off so quickly in a different direction, and Kagome scrambled to her feet.  
Shippou struggled to get to his, but the angle that he was lying on was too great, so he remained stuck until Kagome rescued him, picking him up. 'What's InuYasha's problem?' He grumbled, rubbing his head.  
'I'm not sure.' Kagome said, striding after the hanyou.  
'But he said to wait here.' Shippou said nervously.  
Kagome shook her head, and opened her mouth to say something, but cut herself off, her eyes fixed in the sky.  
'What is it, Kagome?'  
'It's, Kirara.' She said, as true to her word, Kirara landed before them, huffing slightly in her exertion.  
'What's the matter, Kirara?' Shippou asked, leaping down from Kagome's arms and approaching the twin tail.  
Kirara strode forward and picked up the kitsan by the scruff of his neck gently in her teeth, looking slightly irritated.  
'Hey!' Shippou said, struggling slightly.  
'Is something wrong with Miroku and Sango?' Kagome asked, but Kirara's look was calm, before she took off again, quickly disappearing into the glare of the sun.  
'They'll be fine.' Kagome said to herself, shading her eyes from the sun, before turning her attention back in the direction of InuYasha, shedding her bag, and making a mental note of where she left it, grabbing her bow and arrows.  
She did not have to go far, however, when the hanyou in question landed in the clearing in front her, brandishing his sword defensively, and with a mightly crash, another person collided with him, landing nimbly.  
'Oh no,' Kagome muttered as InuYasha swiped his brother's sword out of the way, and swung a fist at him, which would have collided with Sesshomaru's jaw, had he not dodged, leaping back several feet.  
'So what the hell are you doing here, Sesshomaru?' InuYasha shot at him, readying his own blade.  
'No reason that you would concern yourself with.' Sesshomaru replied in his usual deadly tone. 'Why don't you run, like every other cowardly creature?'  
'What, like you?'  
Kagome sighed as the argument continued, descending quickly back into blows, and she emerged from the trees, crossing her arms.  
'Kagome, I told you to stay put.' InuYasha called to her irritatedly.  
'This is ridiculous.' She said, facepalming a little. 'We're probably here for the same reason.' She looked back up, to see the two brothers had backed off, glaring evilly at each other. 'Sesshomaru, you're most likely here to figure out why all the other demons are leaving too.'  
'You are a hanyou,' Sesshomaru said, dripping with contempt, 'why do you not break into the barrier and see?'  
'You're a demon, why don't you?' InuYasha shot back.  
'InuYasha,' Kagome said warningly, before looking back around. 'We're trying to find a demon who was here before the barrier went up, and get them to tell us what happened.'  
'Kagome! Quit giving away details!'  
'Oh?' Sesshomaru straightened, and with a sudden lunge to his right, threw the Tokijin into the trees, where there was a resounding thud. 'Your incompetence never ceases, InuYasha.'  
Kagome approached where the sword had buried itself into a tree, as InuYasha spluttered for a long moment, to discover a smaller, reptilian demon collapsed in front of it, out cold.  
She kept her distance from Tokijin, however was half-tempted to nudge the demon with her toe, yet leapt back when it regained consciousness, rubbing its head.  
Kagome drew her bow, aiming carefully at the demon as it looked around, looking slightly disorientated.  
'What's going on?' It said.  
Kagome started slightly as she felt a presence behind her, and was even more startled when she glanced back to see it was Sesshomaru passing behind her, where he approached the demon, and completely ignoring it, wrenched the Tokijin from the tree, which groaned a little in complaint, examined it for the smallest moment, then pointed it at the demon.  
InuYasha appeared next to her, looking thunderous, but said nothing to his brother. 'Hey, you.' He said shortly instead to the demon, who leapt to its feet.  
'What do you want?' It said, before realizing his rather precarious situation. 'Aaah,' it raised his hands in the air in a term of surrender. 'Sharp, objects,'  
'Were you here when that barrier came up?' InuYasha shot at it, and it swallowed noisily, clearly sweating.  
'Yeah, so?'  
Sesshomaru shot InuYasha a look that was ever so slightly smug.  
'Shut the hell up.' InuYasha replied, refusing to look at him.  
'What?' The demon said, but Kagome cut him off.  
'What happened immediately before?'  
'I don't know, everything was the same as everywhere else? Then just all of a sudden the barrier came up, and I suddenly want to see the sea.'  
'But the sea's so far from here.' Kagome stated.  
'Exactly. My brother said it might be something to do with the tunnels.'  
'Tunnels?' Sesshomaru said.  
'Yeah, the Tunnels of Yomi. But the idiot decided to check it out, and I haven't seen him since. That was over two moons ago.'  
'Where are these "Tunnels of Yomi"?' InuYasha said, not tearing his gaze from the demon.  
'Over that way,' it pointed with a three-fingered hand to the north, towards the mountains, 'about a days travel. But they say no one who goes in ever comes back out.'  
'Thanks.' Kagome said, looking sideways at InuYasha and Sesshomaru.  
'Is, is that all? Can I go?' The demon asked, and when no one tried to stop him, he fled for his life.  
Sesshomaru sheathed the Tokijin distastefully, as did InuYasha with the Tetsusaiga, and Kagome slackened her bowstring.  
'The Tunnels of Yomi?' InuYasha said, crossing his arms.  
'I've heard of those.' Kagome said.  
Sesshomaru pulled his slightly smug I-know-something-you-don't-know look, and InuYasha looked like he wanted to throw something, preferably at his brother.  
'The tunnels are catacombs that are a part of the land that the celestial being Izanami-no-Mikoto was trapped in.' Kagome said. 'She and Izanagi-no-Mikoto were the first celestial beings in this land. But she was killed, in childbirth, and sent to Yomi, the afterlife. Izangi-no-Mikoto went to get her, but she could not return with him. She got angry about it, so he sealed the entrance shut with a boulder. Anyway, that's the stories that I've heard.'  
'So Yomi is the afterlife?'  
'The next world.' Sesshomaru corrected. 'I believe we've been to the border twice, have we not?' He said, turning away, and starting walking in the direction the demon had indicated.  
'Where do you think you're going?' InuYasha spat at him.  
'I refuse to travel with the likes of you.' Sesshomaru replied, not looking back.  
'It's one day.' Kagome said dryly. 'I'm sure the great Sesshomaru-sama can manage.'

* * *

**To anyone who was wondering, this would be where Kirara went, and it's also the next day, being day two. All of the characters are moving to their proper places for future events to occur :3 bonus points to anyone who can guess whats to come!**

**Please review!**


	46. Effects

'Kirara, where are we going?' Shippou said as they circled the skies above a village.  
Kirara said nothing, but changed direction abruptly, falling through the crisp morning air.  
'Whoa!' Shippou said, as Kirara transformed into her flightless, smaller form. 'Kirara! Hold on!' He exclaimed, flipping once and transforming himself into a large bird, catching the twin-tail neatly on his back. 'What was that for?' He said as they glided down lightly, Kirara stood, her front paws on Shippou's shoulderblades, leaning intermittently on one or the other wing, guiding him to a clearing, where a sight to see was there to see.  
'Kirara?' Called a voice, and Kirara leapt down from Shippou's back, and Shippou hopped around, spreading his wings again, squawking, doing his very best bird impersonation.  
Miroku, Sango and Ken appeared over the hill, Sango was running towards them, a broad smile on her face.  
Shippou released his transformed state, in a small puff of cloud. 'Miroku! Sango!'  
'Shippou?' Miroku said as Sango swept Kirara up, swinging her around, tears standing out in her eyes.  
'A demon!' Ken said, looking on apprehensively.  
'Shippou, what are you doing here?' Miroku asked, approaching him.  
'I'm not really sure.' Shippou said, looking around.  
Kirara mewed from Sango's arms, and looked over at where the barrier stood.  
'Is it something to do with that barrier there?' Shippou asked, nodding towards it.  
Ken looked at him. 'Can you see it?'  
'You can't?' Shippou said, approaching the barrier, looking uncomfortable. 'It's right there, but I think I'd rather stay over here.'  
'Where exactly is it?' Miroku said, looking at him.  
'See that stick?' Shippou said, pointing to an indiscriminate, short branch that lay on the ground some fifteen paces in front of him, then spaced his hands about two feet apart. 'It's about this far inside. Hey, I heard that the sea's nice, this time of year, maybe we should go there?'  
'Shippou, you're not scared, are you?' Sango questioned, as Kirara leapt down from her arms, her tails twitching irritably.  
'No, I just think that sticking around is a bad idea.' Kirara went over and stood next to the kitsan, before putting her head down and pushed him towards it. 'Hey, what are you doing?' Shippou said, quickly losing ground. 'Kirara, stop!' He said, flailing wildly, before his hands touched the barrier, and a spark jumped across his fingers, and he slipped out from Kirara's shoving, leaping back.  
Kirara transformed into her larger form, catching Shippou by the back of his jacket in her teeth before he had the chance to flee.  
'Kirara!' Shippou shouted, flailing desperately. 'This isn't fair! Put me down! We should go! I don't like it here!' Tears sprang out, and he covered his face. 'I'm not scared!' He wailed defiantly. 'I wanna go back to Kaede's!'  
'Shippou?' Sango said, approaching the two demons. 'Shippou, it's okay.'  
'It looks like the barrier is preying on their instincts, telling them to run.' Miroku commented. 'That would explain the distinct lack of demons here.'  
'And why only demons kin see it.' Ken said, as Sango plucked the bawling Shippou from Kirara's jaws.  
'Is this why you left?' Sango asked the twin-tail. 'You don't like it either?'  
Kirara huffed derisivly, rolling her eyes, but then trasformed to her smaller state and mewed.  
'I suppose she couldn't explain it right.' Miroku said, before looking around. 'We should try to find out what's causing this.'  
'Twin tail,' Ken said, addressing Kirara, 'why don't you take him back to m'wife. It's plenty away from that barrier there, he should feel better.'  
Kirara mewed at him, before looking back at Sango, who carefully set down the sniffling Shippou.  
'Kirara, you don't have to come if you don't want to.' Sango said, looking on concernedly.  
Kirara mewed again, giving her a stern look, then got up and started walking, clearly indicating that the kitsan should follow, and he did as such, wiping at his face, looking a little relieved.  
Ken sidled up to Sango. 'That's sure one smart cat you have.'  
'What do you mean?' Sango asked in a deadly tone.  
'Hey, hey, I didn't mean no offence,' Ken said, raising his hands in an apologetic gesture, 'I was just sayin' that thinkin' to go and get your little friend there who can both see that barrier and tell us about it; I'll admit I wouldn't'a thought'a that.'  
Sango let it go, watching as the two disappeared out of sight, before turning back towards the barrier, and Miroku, and a figure emerged from around the bend in the road beyond the invisible barrier, and presented themselves to be a very familiar person.  
'Lady Kikyou!' Ken called to her warmly, raising one hand and waving. 'G'morning!'  
Kikyou shaded her eyes as she emerged into the sunlight. 'Good morning to you, Ken. I was just talking to your sister.' She frowned slightly as she looked around at the farmer's company.  
'Lady Kikyou,' Miroku said as she approached them. 'What a coincidence, are you here about the barrier too?'  
'This is proving to be an interesting place to be.' She replied in her usual cool demure, lowering her hand, however her gaze widened as she glanced around the area.  
'Y'guys know each other?' Ken said surprisedly.  
'Moderately well, yes.' Sango said, then addressed Kikyou. 'But we hadn't heard from you in a while.'  
'I've been here.' Kikyou said simply.  
'What have you learned?' Miroku questioned.  
'That this is a place of great interest indeed.' Kikyou replied. 'Are you two alone?'  
'Yes, Kagome and InuYasha are elsewhere, seeing if they can find someone who saw the barrier come up.'  
Kikyou said nothing more on the subject. 'I might suggest you let your twin-tail amongst the village children, you might be surprised as to what happens.'  
'Lady Kikyou, I wouldn't see that to be such a good idea, y'know as well as me that those kids don't like no demons.'  
Kikyou shrugged slightly, then continued walking, her longbow hanging loosely at her side, and was quiet until she disappeared into the village behind them.

* * *

** reappearance of Kikyou! Can anyone else guess the person to (re)appear in the next chapter? Cookie to right answers!**


End file.
